Advocates for criminal justice reform hope to convince lawmakers to reject a provision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Senate farm bill that would deny people with drug felony convictions the chance to be hemp farmers.

Nine Senate and 47 House negotiators met publicly for the first time Wednesday to lay out their positions on how to proceed in reconciling House and Senate versions of the five-year legislation. Lawmakers will push to have a compromise bill ready before the current farm and food policy law expires Sept. 30.

Opening hemp farming to former prisoners is likely to add a wrinkle to the conference negotiations, although the gnarliest issue between the two chambers will be the differing positions on work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving food aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program.

Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and House Agriculture Chairman K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, opened the conference meeting and agreed that it is imperative that lawmakers deliver a farm bill this month. Conaway said SNAP was just one area of disagreement between the two versions of the farm bill, but he added that “I have seen no disagreement that should prevent us from completing a strong farm bill on time.”

The farm bill, which would cost about $868 billion over 10 years, is wide-ranging and sets policy for farm income, crop insurance, conservation, nutrition, rural development and other programs.