Congress Starts Farm Bill Discussions by Focusing on the Farm Economy
On February 15, 2017, the House Agriculture Committee of the 115th Congress began laying the ground work for the next Farm Bill by holding a hearing to “review the economic challenges facing rural America.” Although the majority of federal agricultural appropriations are related to nutrition issues, the hearing signaled that the rural and farm economy are priorities for the Committee and current economic conditions in the heartland “must be front and center” as the Farm Bill process begins.
At the hearing, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway said that the next farm bill needs to provide an adequate safety net for farmers, whose income has fallen because of lower commodity prices. Conaway said Congress should “take to heart” the advice of former committee chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., who said during the last farm bill debate “that a safety net is supposed to be there to help farmers in bad times – not in good times.”
The House and Senate Agriculture Committees are expected to hold additional hearings and listening sessions over the next several months to plan for the development of the next farm bill.