The 2018 Farm Bill, known officially as the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), was introduced on April 12 by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-TX). Six days later, on April 18, the bill was advanced out of committee despite strong opposition from Ranking Member Colin Peterson (D-MN) and fellow Democrats.
When introduced, Conaway’s office issued a statement saying the legislation is “critical to address the economic challenges facing the nation’s farmers and ranchers, while making historic investments in opportunities for SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] recipients.”
It is those changes to SNAP that drew the most opposition, specifically provisions that would require able-bodied adults under age 60 to work or be enrolled in job training programs at least 20 hours per week. Still, the nutrition title consumes close to 80 percent of the total farm bill budget.
Peterson voiced displeasure on April 12 saying, “This bill attempts to change SNAP from a feeding program to a work program.” He said the bill rejects the testimony of 89 witnesses and includes ideological language that will force people off of SNAP to “pay for massive bureaucracies that won’t work and are a waste of money. This legislation is based on false perceptions and ignores reality.”
At the start of the hearing on Wednesday Peterson again expressed displeasure, telling Conaway, “This is a flawed bill that is the result of a bad and nontransparent process. I oppose it and urge my colleagues on the committee to oppose it as well.”
Peterson went on to say, “We are for work,” and said he and his caucus recognize the role of work as a pathway out of poverty. He added, “What I can’t support though is a waste of billions on a program that is entirely untested.”
On introducing the bill, Conaway talked about the struggles facing rural America in the last five years including falling net incomes, natural disasters, and global market challenges. He said, “This bill keeps faith with our nation’s farmers and ranchers through the current agriculture recession by providing certainty and helping producers manage the enormous risks that are inherent in agriculture. The farm bill also remains faithful to the American taxpayer and consumer. Under the farm bill, consumers will continue to enjoy the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world, and taxpayers will reap the more than $112 million in budget savings projected under the current law.”
Animal health
Looking at other sections of the proposed legislation, the language on animal health, specifically the creation of a National Animal Disease Preparedness Program that would include a U.S.-only foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank was met with broad support from livestock producers and agricultural organizations.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Kevin Kester commented, “We appreciate the committee authorizing the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank, which is vitally important to the safety of our industry. However, we were hopeful for full funding levels, which this bill does not provide in years two through five. We will continue fighting to secure that funding through all possible avenues.”
The bill’s current language provides for $250 million in the first year; that amount drops to $50 million annually in years 2020 through 2023.
Allison Cooke, NCBA’s director of government affairs, told WLJ the details where the money is needed and when is something that USDA and the company it contracts with to make the vaccine will have to determine. “Our goal was to give USDA essentially enough money to fully fund this bank and protect our industry. That was the flat-out bottom line so obviously at that point with the money going over to USDA they will have to figure out whether or not it is enough and— we don’t’ believe it will be— but we’re happy to see it authorized.”
Conservation
The conservation title is another area being watched by NCBA. Cooke said her organization was pleased to see two of the working lands programs, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), combined. She explained the bill would “take the best parts of CSP and create one larger working lands program under EQIP that will have more funding.”
Cooke went on to say, “We have been supportive as we learned about this language and we will continue to be supportive because that is certainly something that we like. We are also happy to see the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. This bill is funded at $500 million a year, and we have a lot of producers that use that and want to continue to be able to use it.” She added, “I think the committee definitely took some of the NCBA priorities that we’ve had all along under the conservation title into consideration, and we are very appreciative of that.”
Cooke also referenced the current wildfire situations and said NCBA was pleased that there will be some flexibility in the Conservation Reserve Program for haying and grazing and other management tools when livestock producers are faced with natural disasters.
Trade
Trade is another priority issue of NCBA in this farm bill. Cooke said the biggest change is market access and opening new markets. “This bill does consolidate the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, which are the two that our producers use, as well as two other trade promotion programs. They just consolidated them under a new title called International Market Development Program. It is funded in this bill and NCBA is supportive of that as well.”
Senate leaders commit
When the House bill was introduced on April 12, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman Pat Roberts, (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) issued a joint statement expressing their desire to pass a bipartisan farm bill. They wrote, “We continue to be committed to working on a farm bill for all farmers and families. With low commodity prices, worsening conditions in farm country, and unmet needs in communities across the country, we need to get this farm bill right. We’re working together as quickly as possible to produce a bipartisan bill that can pass the Senate and be enacted into law.”
Following the bill’s advancement to the full floor, Kester commented, “We’ll continue to work through the farm bill process to make sure that it includes authorization and full funding for a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank, as well as funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, research, foreign market development, and market access programs.”
Conaway commented, “I’m disappointed that my Democrat colleagues have turned their backs on America’s heartland—that they’ve chosen partisan politics over the three years of bipartisan work in this committee.” He went on to say that he remains hopeful the bill will pass. “I’m am hopeful Democrats will not hold the nation’s farmers and ranchers hostage in this process over the SNAP work and training requirements, which will provide SNAP beneficiaries not just a benefit, but a better future that only a job can provide.
“But we will continue fighting. We won’t settle for the status quo because America needs a farm bill. America deserves a farm bill.”
The current farm bill expires at the end of September and Conaway has expressed a desire to pass new legislation before that time. — Rae Price, WLJ editor
