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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
The Biden administration and congressional Democrats are aiming to use the agriculture provisions in the Build Back Better bill to jump-start farmers’ work on climate-related farming practices and potentially create permanently higher levels of funding for conservation programs.
The Democratic-controlled House passes President Joe Biden’s $1.7 trillion Build Back Better bill that includes $82 billion in agriculture provisions aimed at accelerating an historic shift toward climate-related farming practices.
Democrats released a scaled-back, $1.8 trillion version of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan Thursday that includes key climate-smart ag provisions, including a new $25-per-acre payment for cover crops, while creating a new low-carbon tax credit for biofuels.
In a victory for progressives, House Democrats delayed passage of a bipartisan infrastructure deal as President Joe Biden also insisted Friday on passage of a more ambitious package of social spending and climate priorities. He conceded privately that the latter plan would be cut significantly.
The huge budget reconciliation bill that Democrats are trying to agree on would reshape a large section of the farm bill ahead of schedule, angering farm-state Republicans who fear it will be difficult to alter the dramatically increased spending allocations for conservation programs.
Over 2.5 million out of 3.9 million acres submitted have been accepted by USDA in this year’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program enrollment, with additional priority zones for elk migratory paths and the Dust Bowl region.
House Democrats are forging ahead with writing a massive new tax and spending package with major implications for the next farm bill as well as producers’ finances.
Key USDA watershed programs that fund agricultural waste management, water quality, and flood prevention projects would get $918 million through the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package awaiting a final House vote.
More than 60 groups are urging Democratic congressional leaders to prioritize climate-friendly agriculture, food systems and equity in their $3.5 trillion domestic spending package.
