Every five years, Congress is supposed to pass a new farm bill.
I’ve always thought an up-to-date farm bill is what provided America’s food security.
It is the most important piece of legislation for those in production agriculture, as it lays the groundwork for government programs which assist in America’s food security.
This security comes in many forms, mainly through U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies and their programs.
The farm bill started out as the Agriculture Adjustment Act in 1933, and its purpose was a direct response to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
The bill was designed to bolster the U.S. food supply and protect natural resources and communities.
I remember stories from my grandparents about the government coming out to ranches and buying cattle for a dollar a head, then shooting them.
I don’t remember why they shot and buried them, but there was a reason.
The government paid ranchers and farmers to reduce production and bought surplus goods to raise crashing crop prices and help feed hungry people.
At the time, rural America was facing a critical financial crisis.
In the 1960s, major policy shifts created the modern farm bill and many of the same programs are still around.
Today, the farm bill is America’s largest investment in the protection of its private farm lands.
The bill has many sections – titles – such as trade, credit, nutrition, rural development, ag research, forestry, horticulture, commodities and crop insurance.
Conservation makes up seven percent, crop insurance and commodities are 17 to 20 percent and nutrition is 72 to 76 percent of the total bill.
I believe Title Four, the nutrition section, is the most political of all the sections. We hear of abuse and fraud in the food stamp program.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the main reason Congress hasn’t passed a new farm bill since 2018.
Republicans want to clean it up and reduce the cost of SNAP, while Democrats want it left alone because it gets votes for them.
For those who are in need of food assistance, SNAP is a great program, but there are individuals who don’t need the program and receive food stamps anyway.
It is just not right. Congress also needs to cut frivolous foods from food stamps.
Some of the issues and programs included in Farm Bill 2.0 are supporting local and regional meat and poultry processing, including new funding opportunities and additional guidance for small processors; enhancing the farm and ranch stress assistance network to critical mental healthcare; expanding reliable high-speed broadband access and assisting rural communities with healthcare issues.
Also, an amendment to the bill would make it illegal for states to have programs like California’s Proposition 12 because of its impact on pork producers around the country.
It has been said we are losing the next generation of agricultural producers, but somehow, we have to stop the drain and deal with the huge challenges of our nation’s food security.
The last thing those in agriculture want is to produce a product consumers can’t afford.
Dennis Sun is the publisher of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, a weekly agriculture newspaper available online and in print.
