Members Advocate for Farm Bill in Washington, D.C.

By Tyler Wenzlaff

The farm bill is a massive spending bill governing policy in many areas related to the agriculture sector that must be renewed every five years. This gives lawmakers the opportunity to regularly address agricultural policy issues.

The farm bill holds a lot of statutory power but also has a little something for everybody. From farm program payments and food policy to conservation initiatives and rural development, the farm bill provides mandatory and discretionary funding for many everyday programs and functions whose influential impact carries across social demographics and regions.

Farm bill passage and implementation has a unique timeline with serious consequences if lawmakers fail to adhere to it. Its five-year lifespan provides lawmakers the opportunity to update the programs so they are relevant to current market and economic conditions. There have been 18 farm bills since the 1930s.

If the farm bill were to expire without a new bill in place or if programs were not granted an extension by Congress, all the programs would return to the 1949 bill, meaning reverting to support price programs for the limited number of commodities covered by the 73-year-old law. Adjusted for inflation, these support prices would be far above even the current elevated market. This helps drive the urgency farmers – and Congress – feel about passing this legislation in a timely manner.

Having worked on the farm bill priorities over the last six months, Farm Bill and Dairy Committee members were uniquely qualified to speak to legislators. Members began their trip with an update from American Farm Bureau staff members. The WFBF board and members were updated on AFBF farm bill priorities, environmental issues, trade, livestock, dairy and received a crash course in effective advocacy.

Members then put their advocacy skills to work meeting with legislators on Capitol Hill. Members met with Rep. Tiffany, Grothman, and staff members from Rep. Fitzgerald, Gallagher, Steil and Van Orden. To cap the day off, members met with Sen. Baldwin and Sen. Johnson.

The cornerstone meeting of the trip would happen on the morning of the third day when members met with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

The embassy is located in the Georgetown area of Washington and the building has some interesting history of its own. The embassy occupies the Forrest-Marbury House, originally built in 1788, and owned by General Uriah Forrest. Forrest was one of the leaders in the effort to establish the American Capitol in the area. On March 29, 1791, he hosted George Washington and other dignitaries in a dinner that marked the agreement in principle to establish the new capitol.

In 1800, the house was purchased by William Marbury, a prominent ally of President John Adams, best known for his role in Marbury v. Madison. The house remained the home of the Marbury family until 1891, when the changing character of the neighborhood led John Marbury Jr. to turn it into a commercial property.

In 1986, the building was bought by a developer, refurbished, and restored to its original condition. On Dec. 31, 1992, the newly independent Ukraine purchased the building to house its embassy.

Ambassador Markarova gave updates on the RussianUkrainian war and how Ukrainian farmers are proceeding with farming in an active war zone. She gave stirring updates on the devastation to families, farmland and infrastructure. Through extreme conditions, Ukrainian farmers are still able to produce food to feed the local population and, when allowed, export goods across the Black Sea and over rail as transportation infrastructure has been heavily targeted by Russian forces. According to the Ambassador, rail lines are often in better condition than roadways.

Ukraine agriculture is not all that dissimilar to Wisconsin’s as the country produces corn, soybeans and wheat. The country is the world’s sixth-largest corn producer and is forecasted to be the fourth largest exporter with 32% destined for China. The remaining exported corn goes to the European Union.

Ukraine farmers are the world's ninth-largest producers of soybeans. They have a similar production timeline to Wisconsin with planting occurring in April and continuing through May. Harvest occurs in August and September with a majority of the production concentrated in central and western regions of the country.

It was very clear that Ukrainian farmers are working through extreme conditions. The farm bill is still several months away from being voted on by Congressional committees but individual provisions are starting to become more clear. There has been a developing consensus among agricultural groups that the latest iteration of the farm bill will be more evolutionary then revolutionary. Many of the provisions from the last farm bill still enjoy large support from commodity groups. A divided Congress and tight budgetary restrictions add to the feeling that the next farm bill will build on the success from the 2018 Farm Bill.

The next farm bill must be reauthorized by Sept. 30 and WFBF will continue to work with Wisconsin’s federal delegation to emphasize our farm bill priorities.

By Tim Fiocchi