Posted October 1, 2013
The farm bill extension, which was passed last year
after Congress was unable to pass a comprehensive bill, has expired. Key provisions of the farm bill – crop
insurance and the SNAP program – will not see an immediate impact, but the lack
of a farm bill will begin to show in the long term, according to a Farm Futures
article available here.
Progress is being made, albeit slow. Over the weekend, the House voted to approve
legislation which combines its Nutrition bill with its Farm Programs bill, H.
Res. 361, available here. This move will allow a future House-Senate
Conference Committee to work on a final bill.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) must first appoint
conference committee members.
The next deadline is Jan. 1, when milk prices will
“skyrocket” based on a 1949 provision of the “permanent” law.
Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Chair of the
Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation, will hold a
hearing on Tuesday, October 8 at 2:30 p.m. EST entitled “Investing in Small
Town America: The Importance of a Comprehensive Farm Bill.”
The hearing will highlight “a key reason why Congress
must pass a comprehensive Farm Bill: to help rural communities throughout the
country develop and improve their infrastructure, such as water and wastewater
systems, broadband networks, and public facilities.”
Sen. Heitkamp said, “Because of the smaller numbers of
people living in rural communities, the low tax bases, and the large distance
between towns, rural communities too often can’t afford to upgrade and build
infrastructure that will help create jobs and boost their economies. That’s exactly why we need to pass a
comprehensive Farm Bill, like the Senate passed in June, to help make these
critical investments in our rural communities.”
For more information on farm bills, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center's website here.
