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Balanced Reporting. Trusted Insights.
Monday, April 14, 2025
Leaders of the House and Senate Ag committees are in active discussions about putting elements of a farm bill in an end-of-the year aid package, including possible new funding for commodity programs as well as crop insurance reimbursements.
Former President Donald Trump, responding to a survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation, is throwing his support behind increasing commodity price supports and other assistance for producers. But Vice President Kamala Harris notes Trump proposed budgets that would have cut some farm programs.
Senate Agriculture Committee Republican Roger Marshall said Wednesday farmers would be better off if work on a new farm bill is punted into next year, when Republicans could be in control of the White House and both houses of Congress.
Ongoing partisan battles over nutrition assistance and Inflation Reduction Act funding have received all the attention but there are plenty of other policy disagreements in the approaches that leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees are taking on a new farm bill.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow is circulating some ideas for farm program reforms that include an increase in effective reference prices that would benefit all commodities, plus an unspecified improvement in marketing loans.
Farmers and ranchers would like to see increased crop insurance subsidies and commodity price supports in the new farm bill, and a strong majority support cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to an exclusive Agri-Pulse producer poll.
Farm groups on Thursday welcomed congressional approval of a continuing resolution that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, ensuring that existing commodity programs will operate normally for 2024 crops.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow expects to have $4 billion to $5 billion in new funding available to address issues with commodity programs and expand crop insurance options, she said in an exclusive interview with Agri-Pulse.
The chaos among House Republicans isn’t the only hurdle facing a new farm bill. Senate Republican Whip John Thune, R-S.D., says the Senate Ag Committee remains divided over key issues, including what to do about the major commodity programs.
