The 2018 Farm Bill is expected to remain largely unchanged, if the Senate Budget Committee gets its way.
That's good news for some - like Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients - though the House package calls for a $10 billion cut in food stamps over a decade. SNAP and other nutrition benefits account for about 85 percent of Farm Bill spending.
But with no cuts to the Senate's version of the bill also comes no additions, something farm groups and allies have advocated for in the 2018 bill, in the form of higher crop insurance and safety nets for farmers, according to Rep. Collin Peterson from Minnesota.
"The prices are such that hardly anybody is making money in any aspect of agriculture at this point," Rep. Peterson told Minnesota Public Radio. "And the current safety net is not adequate to offset what's going on in the marketplace."
Rep. Peterson also says some lawmakers want to change the crop insurance system by limiting who can get insurance, and how much. But that approach, he says, would stop new people from getting into the farming business in the first place.
"So it's complicated, and what we end up with may not be what people want but it probably will be the best we can do," Rep. Peterson said.
The Farm Bill goes up for renewal every 4 or 5 years. The last Farm Bill - the Agricultural Act of 2014 - isn't set to expire until September 30, 2018, but Congress must act now to prepare next years' budget for $100 billion-per-year Farm Bill.
The House aims to hold a floor vote for their budget plan Wednesday, the same day the Senate expects to clear its package for a floor vote.
Read More
- Senate Budget Plan Spares Farm Bill (agriculture.com)
- Final budget deal could leave farm bill untouched (agri-pulse.com)
- Peterson on Farm Bill: No extra dollars to boost safety net (Minnesota Public Radio)
