Legislative Matters

Legislative Matters:

WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THE 2023 FARM BILL?

The time is now to start thinking, talking, and taking some action to know what is coming and engaging in dialogue on the ingredients of the Farm Bill. It is a perpetual process that happens every five years and the legislation can have a dramatic effect on the business strategies of the agricultural industry.

In general, the Farm Bill connects the food on our plates, the farmers and ranchers who produce that food, and the natural resources of our soil, air and water that make growing food possible. The legislation covers programs ranging from beginning farmer training, support for sustainable farming practices, crop insurance for farmers, to healthy food access for low-income families. the original farm bill(s) were enacted in three stages during the 1930s as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation. Its three original goals were to keep food prices fair for farmers and consumers, ensure an adequate food supply, and protect and sustain the country’s vital natural resources. In great part, the early farm bills were initiated to respond to the economic and environmental crises of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Somethings seem to never change like economic and environmental crises, although the challenges take on different forms and actions.

Every five years there is an extensive process where it is proposed, debated, and passed by Congress and is then signed into law by the President. The current farm bill is called the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. As the process develops a 2023 farm bill, a new headline name will be ascribed that tries to capture support of the population. While the farm bill has changed in the last 70 years, its primary goals are the same. The legislation has several chapters, all of which impact agriculture in some manner. Here’s what they’re called (and what they cover): Title 1: Commodities. The Commodities title covers price and income support for the farmers who raise widelyproduced and traded nonperishable crops, like corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice – as well as dairy and sugar. The title also includes agricultural disaster assistance.

Title 2: Conservation. The Conservation title covers programs that help farmers implement natural resource conservation efforts on working lands like pasture and cropland as well as land retirement and easement programs. Title 3: Trade. The Trade title covers food export subsidy programs and international food aid programs. Title 4: Nutrition. The Nutrition title covers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program