Senate ag committee releases its framework for a farm bill

The Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Ag Committee released its framework for farm bill as debate is expected to start soon.

Sen. John Boozman, R-AR, introduced legislative text for Farm Bill 2.0 that he said provides farmers, ranchers, foresters, and rural communities with tools and resources they need to succeed.

“We can all agree that we must take steps to help America’s farm families, and one of the most important ways we demonstrate that commitment is by passing a bipartisan farm bill,” he said. 

“Congress delivered historic improvements to farm programs through the Working Families Tax Cuts, and we’re continuing to expand upon that success with bipartisan priorities that strengthen the American farm economy, increase investments for rural communities and foster a more resilient agricultural sector.”

Much work ahead

After Congress approved the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a year ago, it addressed many of the traditional funding needs associated with a farm bill, said Brad Lubben, an Extension associate professor and policy specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As a result, Farm Bill 2.0, often term the “skinny farm bill” was supposed to address the traditionally non-controversial budget items.

There are four sticking points that agricultural interests have been closely watching, Lubben said.

Key issues include the potential derailment of the bill by the Proposition 12 preemption language, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program reforms, pesticide regulation pre-emption, and year-round sale of E15 fuel.

“It depends on the approach the Senate takes, and whether one can hammer those out, or whether those are fundamentally make or break issues,” Lubben said, adding that two of them are going to be sticking points.

Prop 12

The Prop 12 issue, which preempts state-level policies like California’s Prop 12, is particularly contentious.

“The House version, preemption language that would effectively preempt state level policy like Prop 12 in California (and other states) has similar language that would preempt state level statutes that restrict productions that are that are legal in other states,” Lubben said. “It would prevent the regulation of marketing and limitation of marketing of products that are produced legally in other states is what made it through in the House version.”

The action to stop states from creating their own restrictions that exceed federal regulatory standards is widely supported in the livestock industry, most notably by the National Pork Producers Council.

SNAP

SNAP reforms, which include benefit reductions and state cost-sharing, are also a point of contention, Lubben said.

SNAP was one of the big four budget items dealt with in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Lubben said, and those have been raised once again.

“If you call it SNAP cuts, that’s the Democratic talking point. If you call it SNAP reforms, that’s the Republican talking point,” Lubben said.

Senate Democrats want to revisit the reductions in benefits and the tighter eligibility rules, and specifically to revisit the new cost share obligations of states that require states to bear a greater share of the benefit costs if they have error rate that exceeds the schedule established in OBBBA, Lubben said.

A point of contention came about because some states were given an “escape clause”—most notably Alaska that is in a Republican-red led state and had by far the highest error rate, he said. Alaska was given more time to reach compliance while Democratic-led states that exceeded the limits—but had a lower error rate than Alaska—did not get the same consideration, is the argument Democrats make on it.

The House ag bill chose not to take up the point so if the Senate does address it then will become a conference committee discussion.

Pesticides

The Senate’s draft pesticide regulation preemption was removed by a bipartisan amendment.

The pesticide regulation pre-emption—specifically addressing safety and labeling regulations—was initially in the House bill, but was taken out by amendment; Lubben said senators watched out how that process worked.

A coalition included a combination of the left and right ideologies that constituents with the Make America Health Again did not support a farm bill that blocked states from implementing their own pesticide regulations and warning labels.

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Roundup case in favor of Bayer that federal labeling requirements can trump state requirements lawmakers may believe they have some breathing room and not have to take it up in the Senate farm bill, he said.

“There is a battle about trying to pull back some of those SNAP reforms or cuts, and it’s not in either farm bill and you wouldn’t expect it to be,” Lubben said. “The House was not going to revisit those cuts, and the House bill did pass. The Senate does not explicitly propose to revisit those cuts reforms, but it certainly looks like there will be a debate and maybe an amendment process to try to force that vote.”

Neither the Senate draft nor the House bill include E15 and lawmakers may believe that the jurisdiction over renewable fuels can be handled elsewhere in congressional committees and oversight, Lubben said, but it will be closely watched by the renewable fuel industry

Process ahead

The Senate has a narrow window to get a bill passed. An August recess is ahead, plus senators will turn their attention to the re-election cycle that will begin in September, he said. Even if the full Senate passed the legislation as written it will require conference committee with the U.S. House, which has several differences.

Lubben said if the skinny farm bill is not adopted during the lame-duck session of Congress, then the 2018 farm bill would be extended another year.

Most farm organizations and commodity groups were pleased the Senate had at least released a farm bill discussion draft, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union, they also noted the sticking points.

While much debate is ahead, Lubben said, the Senate bill does offer hope that Congress can write a five-year farm bill that offers stability and lasting authority instead of year-to-year uncertainty.

Other provisions

The Senate’s Farm Bill 2.0, finetunes the Conservation Reserve Program to improve grazing options, including during drought. It also bolsters Buy American requirements across nutrition programs. Building upon the Working Families Tax Cuts farm safety net investments by improving commodity, dairy, standing disaster and crop insurance programs while expanding opportunities tailored to unique needs of specialty crop producers.

The latest draft doubles funding for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program. It enhances the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network and expands high-speed broadband access by strengthening and modernizing U.S. Department of Agriculture connectivity.

Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].