Following the announcement of the appointments, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson said: "I am pleased to see that the House has finally taken action that will move the farm bill closer to completion. There is a lot of work to be done and this is a long-awaited announcement.

"I hope the conferees will consider the needs of all family farmers, ranchers, consumers and hungry Americans throughout its deliberations, and ultimately present a five-year, comprehensive bill with an adequate safety net that can be supported by both houses of Congress and by the president for adoption before the end of the year."