WASHINGTON -- The farm bill saw new life Thursday as members of the House and Senate met for the first formal negotiations on the bill after months of behind-the-scenes wrangling.

Lawmakers said they hoped to reach an agreement within a matter of days as farmers and ranchers get ready for planting season with the April 18 deadline for farm bill passage looming.

"We've come too far to fail to carry through and finish this job," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who heads the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Let's not move back."

Negotiations had been deadlocked since last year over how to spend $10 billion in additional money for conservation and disaster relief, as well as where that money would come from. The House voted to oppose any tax increases to pay for the farm bill Wednesday, clearing the way to negotiations with the Senate.

The House submitted a proposal Thursday that includes $5.5 billion in spending above the $280 billion included in separate House and Senate bills. Funding for this increase would not come from higher taxes-a deal-breaker for the White House.

Instead, the money could come from a change in the way credit card companies report payments to the IRS.

The farm bill is a five-year piece of legislation that is a source for nearly $300 billion in spending. It affects policies as diverse as farm subsidies, food stamps, nutrition, energy and trade.

Notably absent from the House proposal was billions of dollars for a permanent disaster relief fund that would provide added security for farmers on marginal land in states such as South Dakota and Nebraska.

"There is very, very, very little support for the idea of a permanent disaster program," said Virginia Rep. Robert Goodlatte, the head Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. "I am reluctant to encourage further work on that in this farm bill."

Harkin said, "Our job is close to being done.. We will continue to work to resolve the few remaining issues on the farm bill as Finance and Ways and Means (committees) works on the money."

The House-Senate conference committee likely will meet again early next week to continue work reconciling the two versions of the bill.

The farm bill has been in limbo since last year, when the House and Senate approved separate bills, and lawmakers could not agree on a compromise. Congress agreed to a 30-day extension of the old law, but it expires April 18.

President Bush has requested that the current farm law be extended yet again if Congress cannot agree on a new plan.

Congress has received harsh criticism for not doing enough to reform the farm bill, which includes more than $5 billion in controversial direct payments to farmers enjoying the benefits of high commodity prices.

Contact Eric Kroh

at newsroom@wcfcourier.com.