Posted on Sep 5, 2023
The farm bill expires this month, and Congress still needs to decide what it will cost
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Time to Pick Up the Pace Congress!
The farm bill expires this month, and Congress still needs to decide what it will cost
Posted from kcur.org
Congress
Farming
Agriculture
Posted 10 mo ago
Responses: 3
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
"The farm bill sets crucial policy for food assistance, crop insurance and more, and it’s set to expire Sept. 30. Congress is unlikely to meet that deadline, and they still need to decide how much money to spend on the bill.
The pressure is on for Congress to pass a 2023 Farm Bill or file an extension before its Sept. 30 deadline.
But there are different ideas for what the new bill, which funds programs like food assistance and crop insurance, should look like – and cost.
Pat Westhoff runs the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri, where he and his team have been crunching the numbers for several options at the request of some lawmakers.
He said it doesn’t seem like there’s a consensus on if the bill will be bigger, smaller or stay roughly the same size as the 2018 version, which makes it hard to know if any policy changes are feasible.
“If you don't know whether you have money to spend or don't have money to spend, that's a problem,” Westhoff said. “That just makes it really tough for the committee staff and others involved in the processes.”
A budget target provides the foundation for dealmaking, he said. Without it, it’s like Congress is driving in the dark without headlights. The last time Congress specifically allocated additional money for the farm bill was in 2002.
Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican from southern Illinois, said he’s hoping for a bill that can keep costs in line with recent years.
“The most budget neutral as possible and still maintain the integrity,” Bost, who’s a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, said. “But understand that realistically, we know that it's going to be more expensive”
It’ll be more expensive due to higher food costs and shifting crop prices. An estimate from the Congressional Budget Office in May predicted that even without any changes from 2018, the 2023 Farm Bill could top $1 trillion for the first time ever."...
"The farm bill sets crucial policy for food assistance, crop insurance and more, and it’s set to expire Sept. 30. Congress is unlikely to meet that deadline, and they still need to decide how much money to spend on the bill.
The pressure is on for Congress to pass a 2023 Farm Bill or file an extension before its Sept. 30 deadline.
But there are different ideas for what the new bill, which funds programs like food assistance and crop insurance, should look like – and cost.
Pat Westhoff runs the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri, where he and his team have been crunching the numbers for several options at the request of some lawmakers.
He said it doesn’t seem like there’s a consensus on if the bill will be bigger, smaller or stay roughly the same size as the 2018 version, which makes it hard to know if any policy changes are feasible.
“If you don't know whether you have money to spend or don't have money to spend, that's a problem,” Westhoff said. “That just makes it really tough for the committee staff and others involved in the processes.”
A budget target provides the foundation for dealmaking, he said. Without it, it’s like Congress is driving in the dark without headlights. The last time Congress specifically allocated additional money for the farm bill was in 2002.
Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican from southern Illinois, said he’s hoping for a bill that can keep costs in line with recent years.
“The most budget neutral as possible and still maintain the integrity,” Bost, who’s a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, said. “But understand that realistically, we know that it's going to be more expensive”
It’ll be more expensive due to higher food costs and shifting crop prices. An estimate from the Congressional Budget Office in May predicted that even without any changes from 2018, the 2023 Farm Bill could top $1 trillion for the first time ever."...
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If the bill fails, everyone can expect to pay higher prices for groceries.
My son-in-law, his late father, and his uncle own a large farm/ranch. Over the past few years, they have received about $1.5 million in subsidies and crop insurance. The insurance did not cover the actual losses.
By the way, want to see how your state did in the past for farm subsidies?
https://farm.ewg.org/index.php
My son-in-law, his late father, and his uncle own a large farm/ranch. Over the past few years, they have received about $1.5 million in subsidies and crop insurance. The insurance did not cover the actual losses.
By the way, want to see how your state did in the past for farm subsidies?
https://farm.ewg.org/index.php
EWG's Farm Subsidy Database put the issue on the map and is driving reform. Just ten percent of America's largest and richest farms collect almost three-fourths of federal farm subsidies; cash payments that often harm the environment.
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SGT Mary G.
MSG Stan Hutchison Thanks for the link. I was not too surprised that in NM the commodities subsidy was the largest piece of our pie. However, it was very surprising, rather shocking, to look several more states and find all of their subsidies were a much larger share to commodities - half to 3/4 (NY). That suggests a lot of hungry people.
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