The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has released its priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill, which include over 60 recommendations for funding, transparency and development.
“The farm bill is the most significant piece of legislation that affects farmers and ranchers across the country,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Since enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, farmers have faced significant challenges from market volatility, increased input costs and devastating natural disasters.”
The recommendations are split into several specific sections. Broadly, the organization says it supports protecting current farm bill program spending, keeping nutrition and farm programs together, prioritizing risk management tools and funding, and ensuring adequate USDA staffing capacity. AFBF also recommends any changes to current farm legislation should be an amendment to the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 or the Agricultural Act of 1949.
“There’s a huge percentage of Congress that has not had this challenge in front of them, and we need to make (them) understand how important it is to all Americans, whether you’re in rural America, whether you farm or not or whether you’re in urban America,” Duvall said in a recent “Newsline” podcast episode. “And it’s not just about farming; it is about America and its national security.”
The group supports the continuation of a countercyclical program like the Price Loss Coverage program and a revenue program like the Agriculture Risk Coverage program. In addition, AFBF supports the opportunity for farmers to reelect and reenroll annually and for payments to be based on historic and not planted acres. AFBF is also in favor of increased commodity loan rates, among other issues.
The group also supports funding for federal conservation programs that have environmental benefits and working land conservation programs rather than retirement programs. The group also seeks the streamlining of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s conservation practice approval process.
Specifically, the group expresses support for the Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
For crop programs, AFBF supports having a robust crop insurance program with no reductions in premium cost sharing, expanding insured commodities and developing risk management tools.
For trade, the organization supports more funding for the Foreign Market Development Program and Market Assistance Program.
AFBF supports streamlining loan programs and keeping loan amounts matched with expenses, along with minimizing application requirements for young and beginning farmer guarantee programs.
For rural development, the organization supports a market-oriented farm policy that prioritizes projects with the greatest economic impact on rural communities. AFBF says projects should focus on processing and marketing opportunities for direct-to-market producers, broadband programs and increased access for child care in rural areas.
On the research side of things, AFBF supports funding for agricultural research and education, funding for a producer-directed, research-oriented specialty crop block grant program, and funding for the research and mitigation of health risks from chemical contaminants in water and food.
The group also recommends adequate funding for the Rural Energy for America Program, increased resources for biofuels and increased resources for methane digesters.
Finally, AFBF includes support for nutrition, including a block grant program to allow food banks and access networks to purchase specialty crops from farmers, technical and monetary assistance for farmers to facilitate online Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) sales, and the use of SNAP for U.S.-produced ag products.
“It makes perfect sense that one single bill supports the people who produce the food and supports the people who need assistance accessing nutritious food for their families,” Duvall said.
The AFBF board of directors voted unanimously to approve the priorities. Delegates will give final approval at the AFBF Convention in Puerto Rico in January. To read the full list of priorities, visit fb.org. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
