TIMELINE: Two years of work on farm bill
(Reuters) - Congress spent more than two years in developing the $289 billion, five-year U.S. farm bill that is promised a presidential veto.
The House and Senate can override a veto if each chamber calls a new vote on the bill and passes it by a two-thirds majority.
Here are milestones in development of the farm bill:
2005
July 7 - in Nashville, Agriculture Department holds first of 52 farm bill forums scheduled around the country to gather grass-roots ideas for the bill.
2006
February 6 - House Agriculture Committee holds, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, first field hearing on farm bill.
June 23 - Senate Agriculture Committee begins regional hearings on farm bill.
2007
January 31 - USDA releases 183-page book of proposals for farm bill.
March 21 - House Agriculture subcommittee holds first "mark up" session in Congress to draft language for the farm bill.
July 17-19 - House Agriculture Committee debates and approves farm bill.
July 26-27 - House debates and passes $286 billion, five-year farm bill, 231-191.
October 4 - Senate Finance Committee approves tax package that pays for an ever-ready disaster relief program for farmers and helps pay for land stewardship work.
October 24-25 - Senate Agriculture Committee debates and approves its five-year, $286 billion bill.
November 5 - Senate begins debate of farm bill and quickly is gridlocked by an argument over which amendments to consider.
December 6 - bipartisan agreement ends farm bill impasse.
December 14 - Senate passes farm bill, 79-14.
2008
February 6 - President Bush says he will veto farm bill if it raises taxes or fails to cut off subsidies to farmers and landowners earning more than $200,000 a year.
February 13 - House Agriculture Committee leaders propose stricter crop subsidy rules, a revenue-protection plan for farmers and a $6.1 billion spending increase in a "framework" to break a deadlock over the final version of the farm bill.
February 26 - Democratic leaders in Congress decide to seek a $10 billion increase over 10 years for the farm bill.
February 29 - Bush administration says it will accept a $10 billion increase if farm bill contains additional reforms.
March 13 - Bush urges Congress to agree on new farm law by April 18 or extend 2002 law for at least one year. Says will veto bill with tax increase or too little reform.
April 9 - House and Senate negotiators hold first public meeting after weeks of fruitless talks about funding and a Senate-backed tax package.
May 7 - Negotiators agree on terms of farm bill.
May 13 - Bush says in statement he will veto the bill.
May 14 - House passes final version of farm bill, 318-106, sending it to Senate for final approval.
(Reporting by Charles Abbott; editing by Jim Marshall)
