Senate introduces farm bill draft
As American farmers and ranchers await the passage of a new farm bill, U.S. Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), has announced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act—the Senate draft of a farm bill.
Stabenow is retiring at the end of the current congressional session, and she hopes to pass the bill before she leaves office and before the Republicans take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2025.
The Senate’s bill includes $39 billion in new resources to “keep farmers farming, families fed and rural communities strong.” Stabenow said it builds on a legislative proposal she made in May 2024, and it shores-up a five-year farm bill for farmers and ranchers.
“The foundation of every successful farm bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan farm bill coalition,” Stabenow said. “This is a strong bill that invests in all of agriculture, helps families put food on the table, supports rural prosperity and holds that coalition together.”
The most recent farm bill was not extended when it expired on Sept. 30, 2024. Congress has two choices right now–pass a new farm bill or extend the 2018 farm bill by the end of 2024. Many believe it is unlikely that legislators will find common ground and pass a new farm bill before the conclusion of the calendar year.
Highlights of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act
Stabenow said the 1,397-page Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act was written with goals to support agricultural and rural communities and promote sustainability, food security and climate-smart practices.
The Senate bill includes $20 billion allocated to strengthen the farm safety net, with resources to make crop insurance more affordable, support beginning and small farmers and ranchers and provide immediate assistance to producers impacted by severe weather and declining revenue.
The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act will also invest $8.5 billion into providing food to families in need and increasing access of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to military families, seniors and college students who meet the requirements.
The act has also set aside $4.3 billion to improve the quality of life in rural communities. The primary areas of investment will be in rural health care, childcare facilities and education. These funds are expected to create jobs, expand broadband coverage and lower costs for families and businesses.
The bill also addresses climate change, allocating funds to conservation programs under the Inflation Reduction Act. Although several key issues in the draft are expected to be points of contention for Republicans, the current Democratic-controlled Senate’s proposal meets in the middle on several issues where they bad been met with opposition from Republicans.
Only time will tell if congress can come together and pass a new farm bill before many commodity support programs expire, and farmers and ranchers are left in limbo. To view a summary of the farm bill draft, visit www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/summary_of_the_rural_prosperity_and_food_security_act.pdf
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
