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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Sunday, October 06, 2024
The climate funding package that Senate Democrats have agreed on should make it easier to pass the next farm bill while helping consumers and producers deal with climate change, says a Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Tina Smith of Minnesota.
The landmark climate deal Democrats hope will clear Congress in coming days would upend the coming debate over the next farm bill, satisfying demands for new conservation spending but leaving farm groups still scrambling to fund enhancements in commodity programs.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced an agreement with Sen. Joe Manchin on a narrow reconciliation bill that would provide $369 billion in climate-related provisions, including more than $20 billion for farm bill conservation assistance and additional incentives for low-carbon biofuels and rural electric co-ops.
Minnesota commodity groups, local farmers and anti-hunger advocates brought a wide-ranging set of policy requests to the ears of Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Cheri Bustos, D-Ill. at a House Ag Committee listening session on Monday.
The next farm bill must help minority and beginning farmers get access to land and modify federal nutrition programs to create markets for the food they produce, say groups advocating for those farmers.
A partisan divide is emerging heading into the upcoming farm bill over whether or not to link crop insurance coverage with climate change mitigation efforts.
The 2018 farms bill’s main commodity programs will probably provide little help to most farmers who struggling this year with soaring production costs, but lawmakers included key provisions in the 2018 farm bill that could help growers significantly over the next few years.
A conservative group that most House Republicans are members of is calling for deep cuts in commodity programs and crop insurance to save taxpayers billions of dollars.