More than 260 national and state farm organizations and Farm Credit institutions recently appealed to congressional leaders to take up and pass legislation reauthorizing and revising farm programs not included in the domestic spending and tax law enacted in July.
“While vital provisions to ensure long-term stability and competitiveness for U.S. agriculture were included in the budget reconciliation bill, it cannot and should not be a substitute for a full Farm Bill. The full suite of programs across all Farm Bill titles are essential to the viability of our agricultural system and rural communities,” says the letter.
The letter goes on, “We understand there are many needs to address during the remainder of the 119th Congress, and limited floor time must be carefully prioritized. However, we encourage leadership in both chambers to devote the necessary resources to ensuring timely debate and action.”
Issues that need to be addressed include reauthorization of the Conservation Reserve Program; limits for USDA direct and guaranteed loans; rural broadband assistance; and a provision to trigger permanent price-support laws if existing commodity programs are allowed to lapse after 2031.
House Ag Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-PA, has said he also wants to include provisions to address concerns around industrial hemp, lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers and California’s Proposition 12 regulations on sow housing.
It’s not clear that Democrats will cooperate with passing the bill given their anger over cuts in the budget bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Thompson reiterated to reporters that he would need as much as $8 billion in funding for Farm Bill 2.0 unless he drops nutrition assistance provisions from the legislation.
He said Congress will have to pass an extension of programs that expire September 30, but he indicated there was no urgency to do that before January, and he said, “I still think we can get a good, bipartisan, bicameral Farm Bill, 2.0."
EDITOR’S TAKE:
While it might be ok to cut Congress a little slack, it’s truly difficult to give them this much rope – two years? Yes, that’s right, the last full farm bill expired September 30, 2023. It’s time for them to focus on what our nation’s farmers and ranchers need and get the job done. It’s time to stop talking about it and, as NIKE says, Just Do It! Farmers/ranchers need and deserve certainty for their ability to make plans for their future. It’s bad enough that they are caught in the crosshairs of another trade negotiation with China that is totally disrupting commodity markets. Agriculture is a national security issue. Conservation is at the heart of sustainability. Crop insurance is needed to protect against farm weather disasters.
Get behind your farm/ranch customers by calling or contacting your congressional delegation and asking them to please pass a new farm bill in 2025. Make sure you let farmers and ranchers know you support them in this way.
