Hey! It sounds like we're finally gonna have a new Farm Bill out of Washington!
The House has passed it.
The Senate has passed it.
Now, Mr. Obama just needs to sign it.
The first Farm Bill was passed in 1933, primarily to address rock-bottom corn prices and national hunger.
The last Farm Bill was passed in 2008, and actually expired in 2012.
I'm not gonna bore you with a whole lot of history, facts, and stats related to the Farm Bill. Rather, the Bill's Wikipedia page and http://www.farmaid.org/farmbill provide all that info.
The Bill is mammoth, both in subject matter and in $$$$$ spent. Interestingly enough, although it's called the Farm Bill, over 2/3 of the spend is actually for food assistance (food stamps).
While some feel that food assistance and agriculture are closely-enough related to be wrapped-up together on the same Bill, I disagree.
Here's a good explanation why: http://heritageaction.com/2013/06/farm-bill-food-stamps-its-time-to-go-your-separate-ways/
Do food stamps need to exist? Of course. Does the funding for the food stamp program need to be provisioned for in the same Bill as these topics:
crop insurance
commodity trade
conservation
rural development
livestock
forestry
No.
But, it's a political issue.
In plain terms, merging food stamps with farm subsidies produces more support for expanding both than either bloc could possibly muster on its own. The food stamp portion creates a reason for urban representatives to support farm subsidies, and for farm-state lawmakers to support food stamps.
The whole food stamp program would be better served being handled by another Cabinet Department.... maybe Health and Human Services?
Let another Department handle this massively overfunded, massively mismanaged, massively abused entitlement program.
And let the Department of Agriculture focus on what American Agriculture does best.... feeding the world.
(BTW, there are a slew of challenges facing American Agriculture in 2014. The article below highlights some of them. It mentions nothing about river transportation and locks/dams though, which are an utter mess.)
Out for now.....
Matt
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(click below for full article)
CHRIS LUSVARDI
February 5
Illinois farmers face more challenges than just the risks the Farm Bill that Congress approved Tuesday is intended to address.
Farmers will face a series of choices in managing their risk as provisions of the Farm Bill are implemented, said Jonathan Coppess, a University of Illinois agricultural policy specialist and former U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee staff member.
Coppess was among the speakers during the Farming 2014: Managing Risk, Markets and Operations conference presented byAgEngage at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel.
“Farmers have a lot of work through the new Farm Bill,” Coppess said. “It is going to be a process.”
Coppess provided the first explanation many farmers had heard of what is included in the Farm Bill, which had taken over two years for a version to be agreed upon. President Barack Obama has announced plans to sign the bill on Friday during a previously scheduled visit to Michigan.
As other speakers during the conference explained, crop insurance decisions aren't the only ones looming for farmers. They must make management decisions in trying to prevent the spread of devestating weeds such as Palmer Amaranth, said Chance Riggins, a University of Illinois researcher. Palmer Amaranth is not typically found in this part of the country but has been cropping up way outside of its natural range, he said.
“You're going to see it sooner or later if it's in your field,” Riggins said. “It does better in high temperature. It can grow inches per day, which is an incredible growth rate.”
Confirmed cases have been found in 27 Illinois counties, including 12 new ones, Riggins said.
“It's already here,” Riggins said. “We've got it all through the Midwest. It's difficult to control.”
(( THIS IS MATT --> I previously wrote about Palmer Amaranth here on Mattchat back on October 18; look for that post to find out more on the topic ))
The concerns come as crop prices are in a transition phase, said Darrel Good, a University of Illinois Extension agricultural economist. Corn prices are lower than what it has been in recent years, Good said.
“High prices stimulate supply,” Good said. “Once production is in place, it doesn't necessarily reverse once prices are lower. Lower prices can slow production but won't bring it to a halt.”
Good doesn't expect corn exports will make a full recovery to previous levels.
