Congress faces pressure to pass new Farm Bill

Congress is under pressure to pass a new Farm Bill before its September 30th deadline. The bill funds programs like food assistance and crop insurance, but there is no consensus on what the new bill should look like or cost.

Some lawmakers are hoping for a bill that keeps costs in line with recent years, while others want to see more funding for environmental programs. There is also disagreement about whether the bill should be bigger, smaller, or stay the same size as the 2018 version.

Without a budget target, it is difficult for Congress to make progress on the bill. The last time Congress specifically allocated additional money for the farm bill was in 2002.

Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican from southern Illinois, said he is hoping for a bill that is "budget neutral as possible" but still maintains the integrity of the program. He acknowledged that the bill will likely be more expensive due to higher food costs and shifting crop prices.

Bost wants to tweak the 2018 version in some areas, such as strengthening insurance for specialty crops and keeping the stricter requirements for food assistance that Republicans negotiated in the June debt ceiling deal. He also thinks Congress should raise reference prices for crop support programs, but he acknowledged that this may be difficult as some representatives turn up the pressure to reduce government spending.

Micheal Happ with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy said he is hoping the new bill will include boosted support for environmental programs, such as paying farmers to develop land conservation plans and incentivizing practices like cover crops to promote soil health. He said the climate crisis is affecting farmers and strengthening conservation policies could give them the tools to be more resilient.

However, Happ acknowledged that meaningful policy changes may depend on a bigger farm bill, which is uncertain.

If Congress fails to pass a new bill by January 1, 2024, some programs will revert back to 1940s-era policy. This could include USDA buying dairy products off the market, which would drive up consumer prices.

In the meantime, Happ said a delayed farm bill is hurting farmers by injecting uncertainty into payment support and disease monitoring programs.

Some people believe that government programs provide a level of stability for farmers, but this is becoming increasingly untrue.

The pressure is on Congress to pass a new Farm Bill before it is too late. The stakes are high for farmers, consumers, and the environment.