ODA Points Out The Importance Of An Updated Farm Bill

It wasn’t done in 2023; It wasn’t addressed in 2024.  The hope is that Congress will take on the issue of crafting an updated Farm Bill within the first couple of months of 2025.  Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Lisa Charpilloz Hanson said the Farm Bill is so important for producers across Oregon, not just for crop insurance, but to address the pressing issues facing the Ag industry.

"The conservation packages in the Farm Bill are important to our Fish and Wildlife, they’re very important to water conservation.   As we think about a change in our climate and the opportunities for Climate Smart Ag and soil health, those programs in the Farm Bill continue to promote that. I think we're talking about that more today, for sure than we were in 2018.”

Charpilloz Hanson added that climate change is impacting the Oregon farming community, and one of the best ways to help local producers is to have climate change addressed in the Farm Bill.  She added another huge benefit of the Farm Bill revolves around trade and market stability, which Charpilloz Hanson said is so important for an export heavy state like Oregon.

“You know, 80% of what we grow here leaves our state boundaries and about half of that goes overseas," Charpilloz Hanson noted.  "We need to have strong market access, which relies on many different parts of the Farm Bill, whether that be pest and disease, and making sure that we have access and we limit, you know, those phytosanitary barriers.  We need access in terms of commodities and then we need things that support specialty crops.”

Charpilloz Hanson said she’s hopeful Congress will address the issue of an updated Farm Bill in a timely fashion.

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