12 Industry news The U.S. Farm Bill AMERICAN PRODUCERS PUSH FOR MODERNIZATION Owen Roberts NOW THAT THE AMERICAN ELECTION HAS CONCLUDED, IT’S TIME TO FINALLY GET ON WITH THE WORLD’S MOST ALLENCOMPASSING, IMPORTANT PIECE OF FARM LEGISLATION, THE U.S. FARM BILL. The 1,000-page bill, which has been in place since 1933, put US$428 billion into farming, nutrition programs, and food aid there from 2017-2022. Given the Americans’ emphasis on agricultural exports, as well as their presence on the world stage, no food and farm initiative anywhere comes close to matching its influence. The Farm Bill covers the gambit, as underlined by the U.S. Council of State Governments. “Various stakeholders have emphasized why everyone should care about the Farm Bill,” says the council. “This legislation provides universities with funding for research on important topics, assists those impacted by natural disasters, and bolsters the ability of local communities to expand recreational and outdoor activities.” Safety nets, risk management programs, loans, disaster assistance, and conservation programs are central to the Farm Bill, which is renewed every five years to ensure that it is current. Speculation runs high over what each new iteration of the bill will emphasize. Farmers at home and abroad closely watch its progress because of their significant implications for their own farm management. Whatever the Americans emphasize over that five-year stretch is likely trend setting and worth understanding. But in 2023, the tragically stalled and divided U.S. federal government, entrenched in political dogma, couldn’t agree on a new bill. This was not an unprecedented turn of events; through the years, similar delays were caused by bogged-down governments. But it was particularly worrisome and dramatic this year, given how U.S. politics had become so polarized. Even with an extension, could a new bill be written by September 30, 2024, when programs supported by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the official name of the Farm Bill, were set to expire? Things looked up for a while. House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson managed to craft and move a bill through the bipartisan committee, a near Herculean task. He had support from the sector – 535 farm organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFB), sent a joint letter to Congress urging lawmakers to come together and pass the bill. Farm Bureau chief economist Roger Cryan held out hope that success was possible. “It’s not too late to imagine a new five-year farm bill coming out of this Congress,” he said, but added a warning: “It is not that hard, unfortunately, to imagine the price of inaction.” RHETORIC WORSENS AS ELECTION NEARS Cryan’s optimism, however, would not pan out. As the November election approached, the Senate agriculture committee dug in its heels. Rhetoric worsened and political parties became even further ensconced in their camps. The White House’s focus shifted more intently to volatile Middle East politics and the ongoing Russia invasion of Ukraine. Consumers were focused on the price for food rather than the farmers who produce it. On the campaign trail, immigration and the economy, which are heavily influenced by agriculture, were discussed repeatedly. Yet agriculture was rarely mentioned and ultimately fell by the wayside, along with the prospect of a timely new Farm Bill, which some predicted could require as much as $1 trillion to meet the sector’s needs. The ripple effect of failing to meet the September 30 deadline spread widely, fueled
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