Farm Bill

RSS

Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee heard from Michigan producers who represent a broad range of commodities, scale and farming practices as the panel formally started hearings on the next farm bill.

Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say farmers’ repeated need for disaster assistance will be an issue as lawmakers write the next farm bill.

Hemp supporters are touting the crop's myriad uses and soil-nurturing properties while pushing some ideas for increasing its viability as Congress prepares to update the 2018 farm bill that sparked a growing interest.

Leaders of major crop groups say the farm bill commodity programs won’t adequately protect their margins at a time of skyrocketing input costs, but the organizations aren’t ready to propose specific changes.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture revealed its priorities for the next farm bill as lawmakers begin hearings on the legislation.

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 National Young Farmers Coalition, with support from U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, announced a new campaign Tuesday asking Congress to invest $2.5 billion over 10 years to in the 2023 farm bill to “facilitate equitable access to one million acres of land for the next generation of farmers.”

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.

Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are set to receive an average of 40 cents more per meal, a move Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says is based on changes in the way people eat as well as federal dietary guidelines.