Jared DuBach
MACOMB — A new farm bill intended to “reauthorize and strengthen” agriculture policy and programs within the United States through 2023 has been sent to President Donald Trump for signing following the Wednesday vote by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill, which has a budget of $867 billion, passed the Senate by a vote of 87-13. It passed the House by a margin of 369-47.
Among the representatives who voted in favor of the bill was Congressman Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap.
“Passage of the Farm Bill is a win for our farmers and the agriculture community in central and west-central Illinois. Agriculture is the number one industry in Illinois and the Farm Bill passed today will provide certainty to our farmers and strengthen the farm economy by protecting crop insurance, continuing responsible farm programs, preserving conservation, and safeguarding our farmers against illegal trade practices by foreign countries,” LaHood stated in a media release. “I appreciate members on both sides of the aisle coming together to provide positive assurances to American farmers before the new year and look forward to seeing President Trump sign the Farm Bill into law.“
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, on Tuesday voted to support the Farm Bill. Duckworth said the bill includes provisions for urban agriculture efforts in addition to supporting farmers, improve drinking water and promote climate-smart agricultural practices.
“The strength of America’s farmers is a reflection of the strength of our nation,” Duckworth stated. “This bipartisan legislation will give Illinois farmers the support they need and help them remain competitive while supporting millions of jobs, making important investments in rural America and protecting our environment,” said Duckworth. “I’ll continue to work in the Senate to ensure our farmers have the resources and certainty they need to support our nation’s food supply, fuel our cars and grow our economy.“
The Farm Bill also addresses the following issues:
*Expand an improve rural broadband delivery capabilities and include standards that ensure rural broadband needs are met as technological innovations progress.
*Protect crop insurance, issue new insurance products for forage producers and improve whole farm revenue coverage.
*Take steps toward moving able-bodied adults off of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Policy (SNAP) and into the workforce by incentivizing work and improving program integrity.
*Increase funding for research and education projects to over $600 million.
*Provide $300 million for animal disease prevention, including foot-and-mouth disease prevention.
While much of the earlier focus on the Farm Bill revolved around SNAP and other nutrition benefits, legislators on both sides of the aisle have in recent times shied away from directly addressing the prior push by Republican lawmakers to get aid recipients “back to work.” This go-round, the language is more simplified, and the focus more on securing the future for farmers, improving soil and water quality; and ensuring the public has access to nutritious agricultural products at home and abroad.
A number of agriculture organizations that are part of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance weighed-in after the bill passed both chambers of Congress to show their support. The alliance is comprised of 120 specialty crop organizations from across the U.S. The alliance pinpoints that while SNAP was continued with the bill, Food Insecurity Nutrition Initiative funding levels increased. A full $80 million annually will be allocated in the bill for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. There is increased access to foreign markets through increased funding for the Market Access Program of at least $200 million annually. In addition, the bill brings reforms to the National Organic Program operation.
“We appreciate the bipartisan support of lawmakers and the leadership of the House and Senate agriculture committees in moving this important legislation across the finish line in Congress,” said Mike Stuart, chief executive officer of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. “This bill is good news for consumers as well as specialty crop producers. It invests in programs to ensure schoolchildren are eating nutritious produce. It also will help specialty crop agriculture fight plant pests and diseases such as citrus greening. And it bolsters programs that helps us expand markets for our crops.“
Illinois Farm Bureau in its reaction to the news of the House vote underscored the need for such a bill at a time when farmers face a “difficult period of stagnant farm income and trade policy uncertainty.”
“This bill strengthens the safety net for producers by protecting crop insurance and by giving farmers the ability to choose annually between revenue and price-based commodity programs,” the bureau statement reads. “It strengthens market development programs and creates a national foot and mouth disease vaccine bank. Illinois farmers are committed to improving water quality...“
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway stated: “I’ve maintained from the beginning that this farm bill ought to be about standing up for America’s farm and ranch families who are going through some very hard times. And we have kept faith with that commitment. Farm country and rural America will be better off under this farm bill than they were before. I want to thank our leadership in the House, (USDA) Secretary Perdue and President Trump. Because of our work this year, rural America and farm and ranch country know we have their backs.”
