The prospects for agreement on a new farm bill perked up last week even as the House of Representatives passed a one-month extension of the current farm policy to ward off fears of dairy price increases on Jan. 1.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to talk about a 2014 farm bill instead of a 2012 or 2013, but I’m still very optimistic we’ll fin­­ish this by January,” said Am­­erican Farm Bureau farm bill specialist Mary Kay Thatcher.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said dairy price concerns were a...