Congressional agriculture leaders today recommended that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction cut mandatory spending on agriculture programs by $23 billion.

The bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees did not, however, detail what programs should be cut, instead deferring those suggestions to the release of a complete legislative package on Nov. 1.

"We are currently finalizing the policies that would achieve $23 billion in deficit reduction," wrote Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and ranking member Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), and House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and ranking member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.).

The leaders noted that many agriculture programs have already been cut by billions of dollars in the last decade, including conservation, which has been cut by more than $3 billion over the last five years. They also noted that there are 37 programs totaling almost $10 billion, including the farm bill's biomass and energy efficiency programs, which expire in 2012.

Any cuts that the deficit reduction committee makes will likely have an effect on the farm programs and funding levels in the 2012 farm bill.

Stabenow, Roberts, Lucas and Peterson told the joint committee that the deficit savings with the $23 billion cut is more than would be achieved in any sequestration process "and should absolve the programs in our jurisdiction from any further reductions."

Sequestration refers to the process that begins if the joint committee cannot reach an agreement or if the House and Senate do not both approve the agreement it does reach.

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, sequestration would result in all farm bill spending being reduced on a proportional basis with exemptions for the Conservation Reserve Program and nutrition programs for low-income families and children.