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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, September 27, 2024
Groups representing producers of U.S. row crops are far from united on what Congress should do to improve commodity programs, even as the House and Senate Agriculture committees look to start writing a new farm bill in coming weeks.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson is leaving the door open to trying to tighten SNAP eligibility rules in the farm bill if Republicans fail to get a debt-limit deal with President Joe Biden to expand the program’s work requirements.
House Republicans will try to pass a plan to raise the debt ceiling that would cut domestic spending, expand SNAP work requirements and gut the biofuel and clean energy tax incentives that are the centerpiece of President Joe Biden climate policy.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said Wednesday the debate over SNAP work requirements should take place during the farm bill debate, not as an issue for negotiations over the government’s debt ceiling.
Despite disappointing results in its first year, supporters of a program designed to get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shoppers to buy more low-fat and non-fat milk hope that an expansion of the program will yield better results and lay the groundwork for continued investment in the next farm bill.
Tribal governments say they could increase American Indian and Alaska Native participation in a wide range of USDA programs if they can get the authority to run them on their own through the next farm bill.
Commodity groups face some critical farm bill decisions in coming weeks that hinge on factors out of their control, including an updated forecast of farm program costs and uncertainty about the ongoing debt ceiling standoff between the White House and House Republicans.
In this opinion piece, Former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman discusses the crucial need for increased agricultural research and development support in the next farm bill.
Data from pilot projects is already pouring in on the positive impact on health with food prescriptions and medically tailored meals. Now groups are gearing up to make the case for continued funds within the farm bill as well as tapping into the larger pool of health care dollars to change the trajectory of the nation’s declining health and increase the scale of food-as-medicine projects.
Crop insurance is commonly recognized as the cornerstone of the farm safety net, but Risk Management Agency Administrator Marcia Bunger believes more training, outreach and education is needed.