REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. - Republican Senate candidate Kurt Bills says he would have voted against the farm bill passed by the U.S. Senate in June because it was too expensive.

The Senate approved a five-year bill of nearly a half-trillion dollars, with support from Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Bills appeared with Klobuchar on Wednesday at the FarmFest trade show near Redwood Falls. He said he would support a smaller bill if its subsidies would go only to low- and middle-income farmers.

Klobuchar said the Senate bill was supported by several Upper Midwest Republicans, and cuts nearly $23 billion a year in subsidies.

The House hasn't voted on the Senate's bill. Klobuchar says it's vital to pass this year to get aid to drought-stricken farmers and to shield farmers from the weak economy.

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