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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, September 27, 2024
Farm bill negotiators plan to roll out the eagerly anticipated details of their agreement early this week with an eye toward getting the legislation to President Donald Trump's desk ahead of a showdown over his demands for funding the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Farm groups welcomed news that negotiators had reached agreement on a new farm bill, but key details were being kept under wraps while lawmakers waited to learn whether the final cost estimates would force them to tweak the text.
The lead Senate negotiators said Wednesday that a final agreement on a new farm bill was "very, very close" after congressional leaders decided how to address the Trump administration's demands for new authority for addressing wildfires.
Farm bill negotiators are looking to wrap up talks that have become embroiled in a debate over forest management as well as longstanding issues such as eligibility rules for commodity programs.
Lawmakers hope to include provisions in a new farm bill that would reduce food waste by encouraging donations of ugly produce and surplus commodities that would otherwise be discarded.
Food banks and other non-profits are stepping up to help the government turn what would be wasted food much needed nourishment to "food-insecure" families.
Farm bill negotiators are struggling to work out deals on forestry regulations, commodity program eligibility rules and other issues with a goal of finalizing an agreement that Congress can vote on before adjourning in December.
An 18-year-old debate over whether farmer cooperatives should be allowed to share crop insurance profits with their members has flared up behind closed doors as negotiators try to finish a new farm bill.