Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 6/7/18

Take out your calendars, ag friends. Our intrepid Pro Ag reporters Catherine Boudreau and Liz Crampton have figured out some potential dates for progress on the farm bill. Senate Agriculture ChairmanPat Roberts aims to release the bill this week, with a markup potentially next Wednesday, June 13, Catherine and Liz report. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the upper chamber plans to take up the bill before the July 4 holiday.

How Senate talks differ: It looks as if talks may move more smoothly in the Senate than they did in the House because the strategy that Roberts and ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) are pursuing contrasts sharply with the House's approach.

Both senators have presented a unified front and vowed to draft a bill that both Democrats and Republicans can support. Roberts was cautiously optimistic that tone would continue before he met with Stabenow on Wednesday afternoon. "I mean, you get everything settled and something pops out of the woodwork," the Kansas Republican said. "But I think we're pretty much there."

Over at the House: Next dates are a bit more fuzzy on the House bill after it did not pass in May. The chamber has until June 22 to reconsider the bill, H.R. 2 (115), in its present form (although Congress could easily pass a rule extending the deadline).
House Ag Chairman Mike Conaway had expected that a June 22 farm bill vote would follow a potential vote on unrelated immigration legislation — a condition that conservative House Freedom Caucus members had demanded before they would consider supporting the farm bill.

But a potential vote on that immigration measure — which is sponsored by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Michael McCaul(R-Texas), who chair the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, respectively — may not happen until after June 22, because the House leadership may be forced to give potential floor time for a series of immigration measures.

More chances of Senate progress: McConnell also added more time to the clock for deliberations in the Senate (or in conference committee) when he announced on Tuesday that the upper chamber has canceled its traditional monthlong recess in August. However, as of Wednesday, the House was still planning to leave Washington for that month.