WASHINGTON -- After Congress acted on few legislative priorities last year, produce industry advocates are hoping for a 2014 farm bill agreement this month and cautiously optimistic lawmakers may begin addressing the broken immigration issue in the first half of 2014.

Stakeholders may get a first glimpse at the farm bill conference report as early as the second week of January, when the House and Senate conference committee is expected to hold meetings on the five-year bill.

Both bills deliver key specialty crop programs but were snagged in a partisan battle over how much to cut the food stamp program, among other policy standoffs.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance has been fighting for programs that support market access and expansion, production research, combating invasive pests and diseases, promotional tools and infrastructure investment, and increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts.

Produce industry advocates say the House and Senate versions have been very similar, so their issues have not been a priority during negotiations.

One farm bill issue that still concerns the United Fresh Produce Association is the conservation compliance requirements.

"It is a big issue and we're concerned because it's not clear how it affects specialty crops," Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for United Fresh, told The Produce News.

He's concerned that farmers may be discouraged from signing up for crop insurance if they must prepare costly conservation compliance plans.

Once the conference report is released, the committee is expected to discuss the issues, vote on the report, and send it to the House and Senate for final votes. All the issues aren't locked down, but they're getting closer to finishing it, according to Guenther.

When the farm bill is wrapped up, Ken Barbic, senior director of federal government affairs at the Washington, DC, office of Western Growers Association, said he's becoming more optimistic the House will begin debating immigration reform during the first half of 2014.

He points to reports that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has signaled interest in taking up the issue.

There was also news that Boehner hired Rebecca Tallent, an immigration adviser to Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), who supports more sweeping immigration changes.

"It will be the top one, two, three, four issues" at United, Guenther said, referring to immigration reform.

"There's still a lot of question marks and hurdles to overcome before we get there," Barbic warned.

But there appears to be movement in the House leadership, and Barbic said immigration reform was included, though low down on the list, in a Jan. 3 legislative agenda by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on bills that may reach the House floor in the coming months.

Supporters are hoping to get a bill on the House floor by this summer. It's still unclear whether House leaders favor a comprehensive immigration reform measure or smaller fixes that would likely include reform for agricultural labor.

"No one in the House has really showed their cards yet," said Barbic.

Other measures on WGA's radar include tax reform, trade agreements and measures to respond to California's pending water crisis.

Guenther said the yearly appropriations bills are on his agenda, along with a bill being discussed on Capitol Hill that would pre-empt states from requiring the labeling of genetically engineered food.

"We're watching this one" to make sure it doesn't negatively affect fresh fruits and vegetables, he said.

Another issue is the reauthorization of the child nutrition law to make sure it doesn't undermine some of the nutrition successes the industry has had with school meals.

Of course, United Fresh will continue its involvement in the Food & Drug Administration's implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, Guenther said, adding that United plans to weigh in on the newly released FSMA rule on intentional adulteration and preventive controls for animal feed.