Farm groups are already looking ahead to the next farm bill. Agriculture and commodity groups are starting meetings regarding issues facing agriculture that the groups deem important for the next farm bill, expected in 2018. The meetings are starting early because, as DTN reports, agricultural groups were not on the same page when the push began for what became the 2014 farm bill. The 2014 farm bill started as a rushed effort in 2011, and the processes dragged into 2014. A lobbyist with the American Soybean Association told DTN “if we want things to come out any differently the next time around then we need to prepare for it.” National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President and CEO Chuck Conner is chairing the gathering of farm groups, and says “It’s not too early to talk about how the current bill is functioning.” So far, the meetings have been mostly educational but have focused on cotton and dairy producers who are effectively operating with little or no safety net right now. Conner says he hopes the discussions over the next year will create more unity among agricultural groups before the Congress starts on the next farm bill.