After a year of extensions and months of speculation, the new farm bill will finally receive a kickoff hearing this week. That means it’s time for even casual Farm Bill observers to sit up and pay attention.
The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to “mark up the Agriculture, Food, and National Security Act of 2024” on Thursday.
The drama began last week when U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson took the first step toward passing the Agriculture, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. Since then, comments and criticism have poured in, as has the Senate. 2024 Farm Bill Version.
Thompson received some acclaim just by putting his work on the table. “NASDA commends Chairman Thompson for starting the process of developing the next Farm Bill,” said Ted McKinney, CEO of USDA.
“Following the release of the bill, NASDA remains committed to advocating for a bipartisan farm bill that ensures American agriculture and commitment to critical food and nutrition assistance programs for those who need it most. The signing of the farm bill is critical to the food and agriculture sector, which benefits our nation’s economy, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of U.S. economic activity and supports approximately 23 million jobs. We welcome the opportunity to work with the House Agriculture Committee as they begin discussion of the Agriculture, Food, and National Security Act of 2024.”
Some people have read the draft Farm Bill and liked it.
A statement from the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI) said, “By incorporating frozen fruits and vegetables into core nutrition programs, we have ensured that all Americans have access to nutritious, high-quality foods. I would like to especially thank Chairman Thompson.”
AFFI said, “The legislation announced today by the House Agriculture Committee encourages USDA to give equal consideration to all forms of produce in programs funded through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP),” and that “Farm Bill language also specifically calls for all forms of fruits and vegetables, including frozen produce, in USDA’s Produce Prescription Program.”
A comprehensive omnibus farm bill would likely cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion over 10 years. This bill would set federal agriculture and food policy for the next 10 years. The coming weeks will tell whether competing partisan versions of the House and Senate can be unified into one bipartisan vision.
The deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill is September 30th.
The Republican Freedom Caucus could push for cuts, potentially blocking Thompson’s bill. His bill would not cut nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And they are banned by Democrats. These former food stamp programs account for 80% of current Farm Bill spending.
Chairman Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) included language in California’s Proposition 12 in the farm bill that would overturn state laws that require more living space for certain livestock. In a committee action scheduled for May 23, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for Animal Welfare announced that the Humane Economy States will strongly oppose the farm bill, which includes some of the language in the so-called EATS Act. is expected.
Veteran Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has gone on record predicting that the issue will divide the House and Senate on the farm bill. He also noted that the farm bill is not on the list of 17 bills that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wanted completed.
If the bill expires, it could put nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC at risk and impact a wide range of issues from crop insurance to conservation efforts.
Grassley said 85% of the farm bill goes to food stamps and nutrition programs, with the remaining 15% going to agriculture. But 15 per cent does not go into farmers’ pockets, he said. “Maybe a little bit, but because of agricultural promotion programs to protect farmers from catastrophic price declines,” he added.
But there are also non-farm organizations like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (ASPCA) opposes the House version because it opposes the inclusion of language in the EATS Act.
The ASPCA said Thompson’s farm bill “would overturn important livestock protection laws that prohibit extreme confinement of layer hens, sows, and calves.” The policy would prohibit states from regulating agricultural products, create a race to the bottom that hurts animals, farmers and consumers, and threatens to overturn the will of voters across the country. ”
The Competitive Markets Authority and the Competitive Markets Action Authority said in a statement following the announcement of the Thompson Farm Bill: “Chairman Thompson’s farm bill is exactly what we expected and is a direct reflection of the continued corruption in the so-called swamp, which has put countless American family farmers out of business for decades. This action panders to agricultural monopolies such as Chinese-owned Smithfield, the National Pork Producers Council, and the National Cattle and Beef Association. And a slimmed-down version of the EATS Act would override countless state laws across the country that protect the nation’s few remaining independent pork producers..
“This corrupt Farm Bill also fails to address the years of unethical practices we have seen in the USDA’s scandal-riddled Commodity Checkoff Program, which the OFF Act would help prevent and which we I will use every resource to lobby to defeat this bill.” We call on Speaker Mike Johnson to vote this bill out of committee, and we urge advocates in the House Freedom Caucus to vote on the bill if it comes up for a vote in the full U.S. House of Representatives. We ask that you do everything in your power to reject it. It would be better for our producers to have no new farm bill than the swamp released today. ”
However, some companies are prepared to support the House Farm Bill.
“The Land Trust Alliance is proud to announce that House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) is committed to supporting the Land Trust Alliance, including historic investments in the agricultural conservation easement program with increased annual funding. We applaud the Alliance for delivering farm bill text that reflects many of its top priorities: raising the federal burden to 65 percent on most transactions and creating barriers for historically underserved landowners. A provision that allows more landowners to participate in ACEP by providing relief.
The document also recognizes the expertise of land trusts by giving certified land trusts a streamlined path to manage easements and minimize administrative burden on the Secretary. These and others represent a major step toward providing consistency and certainty for landowners to leverage limited agency resources and give them flexibility to enable long-term management of easements. Masu.
“We commend the Commission for including an independent forest conservation easement program with mandatory funding. It helps to keep it pristine and managed in a sustainable way, bringing many economic and environmental benefits to rural and urban communities.”
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