House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., after being pressed to talk about the farm bill in North Dakota on Wednesday, said he expects the House to pass a nutrition bill and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to appoint conferees on the farm bill, the Grand Forks Herald reported.

Cantor’s visit to the energy production area in the western part of the state was mostly closed to the press, but he held a news conference at which he took three questions, the Herald reported.

“We in the House expect to move a nutrition title out of the House,” Cantor said. “That title will reflect the reform agenda that we’ve been about in the nutrition program.”

Cantor added that he expects Boehner to appoint conferees.

But the Washington Post reported today that a Cantor aide said that the plans are not firm.

“The leader expects to take up a nutrition bill that makes much-needed reforms to the food stamp program that adds work requirements for able-bodied adults, ends abuses and protects it for the children, seniors, disabled, and families that most need it,” said Cantor spokesman Rory Cooper. “We’ll consider next steps when we get to that point.”

Gene Nicholas, a farmer and retired Republican state legislator, said he emphasized to Cantor that a permanent farm bill would give the industry some stability so the rules aren’t always changing for farmers and ranchers, the Herald reported.

“If we could put a permanent farm bill in place, I think that would be extremely beneficial to all of rural America,” Nicholas said.

“They’re working hard on coming up with some middle ground on the food stamp portion of it,” Nicholas said afterward, according to the Herald report. “He stressed that he’s had calls from people that did not support it in the last go around that would support it now.”

Nicholas said he came away from the discussion with confidence that a farm bill “that we can live with” will be passed this year.