What Will Future Farm Bills Look Like?

The House Agriculture Committee passed Farm Bill 2.0 last week, now it’s a question of when the full House of Representatives will take up the issue.

The Farm Bill Needs To Be Updated

Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union said while he appreciates the work that’s being done on the skinny Farm Bill, and some programs are being reauthorized, there’s not a lot of money available for what farmers truly need.  He said looking forward, a larger conversation about what a modern Farm Bill should look like needs to take place.

"Many of the safety net programs that we talk about in the Farm Bill, those were originally created back in 2012, and then put into the first into a Farm Bill in 2014," Larew said.  "The world is a really different place for agriculture today. And so I think that what we want our elected leaders to do is actually look at today's needs, listen to family farmers and ranchers, and create a farm bill It truly addresses the needs and meets the moment.”

Most Lawmakers Aren't Connected To Agriculture

When it comes to the idea of separating out the Farm Bill, and keeping Ag issues and food assistance needs separate, Larew said that would only hurt the agriculture community.

There are too few members of Congress that actually come from farming and agricultural districts," Larew pointed out.  "And so that's the reason why we've had for several decades now this grand coalition of folks who care about conservation, who care about feeding the hungry, who care about making sure that our rural communities are strong. And so, we're worried that this coalition is certainly fractured at this point, but I don't see how the needs of family farmers and ranchers can get met when the votes just aren't there”

Larew added as rural representation is lost over time, the need for that coalition is going to be even more important, and he’s hopeful that coalition can come back and address the future of the Farm Bill.

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