House ag committee negotiators are edging closer to an agreement with the White House on a new farm bill, according to Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.

Herseth Sandlin, a South Dakota Democrat, said she disagreed with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who blamed the farm-bill holdup on the failure of the House to name its members to a conference committee that will iron out differences between the House and Senate farm bills.

"We haven't appointed ours yet for good reason," Herseth Sandlin said Thursday in a phone interview.

She said the primary reason for the delay in getting a new farm bill has been the Bush administration's dispute with Southern state Republicans over the income qualification limits for farm payments.

"My understanding at this time is that many of the senators in both parties don't believe the president will follow through on a veto threat," Herseth Sandlin said.

She said she believes Bush will veto the bill if he doesn't get some of the reforms he is demanding, particularly on payment limits.

But Herseth Sandlin said House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and the White House have been edging closer to an agreement.

"It was important to Chairman Peterson to figure out if the administration was going to be negotiating in good faith and truly finding common ground," she said. "He didn't reach the point where he thought that was possible until just last week," she said.

Herseth Sandlin said the parameters of the agreement include moving closer to the administration's proposal to limit payments to farmers with adjusted gross incomes of less than $200,000.

The current limit is $2.5 million. The House bill would lower the limit to $1 million for people actively involved in farming and $500,000 for those not actively involved in farming.

The Senate bill would ban payments to nonfarmers whose income averages more than $750,000 a year.

Herseth Sandlin said she couldn't provide specifics of the tentative outline but said that from what she understands, "it's only a slight modification from the overall terms."

She said Peterson also agreed to drop the closing of some tax loopholes that the administration characterized as tax increases.

She said she believes Bush will sign a bill that prohibits rich people not actively involved in farming from getting big payments.

She said the agreement would likely mean no increases, but no cuts, either, for most farm programs.

She said details are still being negotiated, and talks will continue into this weekend.

"If the parameters of the agreement hold with the White House, we will be able to appoint conferees, hopefully in the next week or so," she said. "Then, I think things will move forward fairly promptly."

Contact Steve Miller at 394-8417 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com