Farm groups have a lot to cheer in the massive year-end funding bill that congressional leaders finally released Tuesday evening. The 1,547-page measure, includes nearly $31 billion in disaster aid and economic assistance for farmers.
Of that amount, $10 billion will be distributed to farmers along the lines of the Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act of 2024 (FARM Act) introduced by Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., this fall.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union quickly endorsed the legislation Tuesday night and urged lawmakers to pass it.
“This is a time to help our farmers and ranchers get through this next year until we get a new, modernized farm bill,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall told Agri-Pulse earlier Tuesday, emerging from a meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
The bill also includes a one-year farm bill extension, plus provisions allowing year-round sales of E15 and delaying for one year the deadline for farms and small businesses to report their ownership to the government.
Read more about the legislation and the biofuel provisions at Agri-Pulse.com.
Thompson eyes Q1 farm bill
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., is planning a relatively ambitious schedule for the farm bill, given that Republicans are planning more work on appropriations, budget reconciliation and a long to-do list early in the next Congress.
“I'm looking first quarter, early next year” to take up a farm bill, he told reporters Tuesday.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who takes over as Senate majority leader in January, told colleagues Tuesday a farm bill would be a priority for the chamber in 2025.
“Members should expect to take up a farm bill in 2025. We’re now more than a year overdue on the next bill and farmers and ranchers in my state and around the country are waiting for Washington to update farm programs to reflect current agriculture needs,” Thune said.
Ag lawmakers: Farm community should ‘relax’ on RFK Jr.
Many lawmakers and farm groups have expressed concern about Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s prior statements criticizing food and agriculture, particularly proposals to restrict pesticide use.
But after meeting Kennedy Tuesday, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said the two share the same goals on agriculture and the farm community should be relieved.
Kennedy, who was nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has meetings scheduled with senators throughout this week to secure his nomination.
"I think that American agriculture is going to be relieved when I hear from his own words to talk about this," Marshall said after his meeting.
By the way: Over in the House, Thompson said Tuesday that Kennedy “needs to get up to date with the reality of how we do things.” But Thompson said he’s encouraged farm groups to “relax.” He said there’s a large list of issues Kennedy will be responsible for if confirmed to HHS, including issues in the health care and pharmaceutical space.
He added Kennedy won’t have jurisdiction over several issues in agriculture that farm groups may be worried about.
Democrats finalize Craig as ranking House Ag member
Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig has officially won the top Democratic slot on the House Agriculture Committee. In a vote of her Democratic colleagues, she defeated her only opponent, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., 121-91. Incumbent Ranking Member David Scott, D-Ga., dropped out of the race following Monday’s Steering and Policy Committee vote.
Big for biofuels? Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who spoke in favor of Craig at the caucus meeting, argues Craig will be good for biofuel policy. Craig co-chairs the Congressional Biofuel Caucus with Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and the two have collaborated on biofuel legislation in the past. “I’m hoping that her leadership in that space will continue to elevate those issues that support Midwestern farmers in particular on the committee,” Budzinski said.
Pro-biofuel Republicans like Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, also welcomed Craig’s selection given her biofuel background and appeared open to working with her on these issues. “There’s nothing more American than a fuel source that can be produced time and time again right here in the country,” Nunn said. “I know Angie as a leader in this, I look forward to working with her on it.”
Other new leadership: During the full caucus meeting, Democrats also elected Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. He defeated New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 131-84.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., won the ranking member position on the House Natural Resources Committee. The current ranking member Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., had led Democrats on the panel since 2015 but announced he would step away earlier this month after Huffman announced his bid.Huffman secured the recommendation from the steering committee Monday, but his Grijalva-backed opponent, Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., did not officially drop out until Tuesday’s full caucus meeting.
African trade program dropped from spending bill despite support
A trade preference program that allows sub-Saharan African countries to export eligible products duty-free to the U.S., was not renewed in the end-of-year spending legislation, despite lawmakers from both parties supporting the provision.
The African Growth and Opportunities Act, under which almost $3 billion of agriculture products enter the U.S. each year, is set to expire next September. Democrats were pushing for a two-year extension to give lawmakers more time to weigh adjustments to the program, Ways and Means Committee ranking member Richard Neal, D-Mass., told Agri-Pulse.
Multiple Republican lawmakers involved in trade policymaking told Agri-Pulse this week that they supported the prospect of renewing AGOA through the must-pass bill, including Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Nebraska’s Rep. Adrian Smith.“We thought it had some legs on Sunday night,” Neal said, adding that he didn’t know why the provision was eventually dropped.
USDA outlines framework for demand-side effort to curb deforestation
USDA has announced a policy framework that would shape demand-side efforts to limit illegal deforestation, with an initial focus on agricultural commodity-driven deforestation.USDA says an informed policy would minimize compliance costs and burdens on U.S. importers, including those stemming from traceability and due diligence requirements.
The effort should also use Earth observation data to monitor deforestation and step up enforcement efforts, USDA adds.The framework is part of the Biden administration’s effort to implement a 2022 executive order to preserve global forests and tackle imports linked to deforestation.
Multiple agencies also published a report outlining best practices for the U.S. government to avoid contributing to deforestation and promote sustainable land use in development projects as part of the initiative.
Final word
“That’s all a bridge to get us to January, when frankly we’ll get this farm bill enacted that adds some robust safety net for everybody.” – House Ag Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., on the ag provisions in the year-end funding bill.
