CROP INSURANCE SOLUTION: New Farm Bill Set to Pass by End of December

Crop Insurance Solutions issued the following announcement on Dec. 6.

Lawmakers have come to a preliminary consensus on the 2018 Farm Bill after months of heated debate. While the bill has not been passed as of the writing of this article, agriculture leaders in both the House and Senate have confirmed that a tentative deal has been reached—only the exact language and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scores are left to be defined.

A joint statement issued by the committee office of Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX), House Agriculture Committee Chairman, states, “We’re pleased to announce that we’ve reached an agreement in principle on the 2018 farm bill… We are committed to delivering a new farm bill to America as quickly as possible.” This week, we’re outlining how the bill has evolved since June to reach bipartisan support and discussing what these changes could mean for farm bill legislation in the future.

What Changed Since June?

As we’ve written in the past, proposed budget cuts for the 2019 bill had ag experts in an uproar. An earlier version of the bill introduced by the House in June pushed for big changes, many of which were unwelcome measures for ag advocates. The USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program—a set of incentives which push farmers to use sustainable water, soil and animal conservation practices—risked losing a third of its budget. Additionally, new work requirements for food stamp users seemed to be a rallying point for House Republicans looking for tighter budgets. However, the bipartisan-supported bill introduced by the Senate last week indicates a less radical set of regulations for the 2019 fiscal year.

Experts expect that the new version of the bill could be passed before the year is out as many of the more radical additions from the House version were left out of the Senate farm bill. The new work requirements for SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) were scrapped, as have all major forestry provisions—much to the delight of environmentalists. While the House-passed provisions to expedite the processes of clearing and thinning forests have not been included, legislators have been unclear if, when or how these new forestry provisions could be passed in the future.

What Does this Mean for Future Farm Bills?

Potentially the most important consequence of the long, arduous process of passing this farm bill is that Congress was forced to hear the voices and opinions of real farmers to make it happen. The National Young Farmers Coalition was one of many ag industry groups which lobbied in favor of the Senate’s version of the bill in early November. Leaders of the NYMC brought around 100 farmers to the Capital to talk with lawmakers about the real-life impacts they can expect upon the bill’s implementation. This move toward asking farmers’ opinions and expertise means that future farm bills will likely be less reliant on Congressional input and more on enthusiastic input from those who are affected most by the legislation: American farmers.

We’re already seeing the progress that comes with making a priority out of listening to real farmers’ experiences. As many will remember, the 2014 farm bill was delayed for a full year before its passing, leaving many necessary programs unfunded and struggling. Backlash from farmers, nutrition experts and other food and nutrition experts affected by the bill’s September 2018 expiration date is one of the driving forces which pushed Congress toward bipartisan legislation. In the future, it’s unlikely this trend will change. Farmers and other boots-on-the-ground experts will be the individuals who nudge Congressional leaders away from using the farm bill as a cover for partisan legislative tactics and toward laws which support the ag industry at large without disrupting smaller farm operations around the country or the disenfranchising individuals who benefit from nutrition programs.

If you’re looking to grow your operation in 2019, start by reassessing your crop insurance plan. Call Nick Glanzer at Crop Insurance Solutions to talk through your options today!

Original source can be found here.