Farm Bill Headed to Conference

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Policy, Politics // 0 Comments

Farm Bill Headed to Conference – From the National Farmers Union

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to send the farm bill to conference. In the coming weeks and months, a committee comprising members of both Congressional chambers will reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation.

This may prove difficult given the major differences between the two bills, particularly in the nutrition title. The House bill would mandate more stringent work requirements for participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, while the Senate bill maintains the current employment stipulations. There are also significant differences in how the bills address conservation, farm safety net, and payment limitations. See the chart below for an overview of how the bills compare.

With the Farm Bill headed to conference, an official timeline for the conference committee process has not been announce, but the House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway says it is a priority to get the bill passed by both chambers and signed by President Trump before September 30, the day that the current Farm Bill expires.

National Farmers Union (NFU) asked that the conference committee pass the bill by the deadline, and that they improve the farm safety net, farm sustainability, and diverse markets for family farmers. “Farmers have been coping with depressed commodity prices for several years, forcing many into significant financial strain,” said NFU Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Communications Rob Larew. “We’re hopeful that the conferees will respond to this immediacy by producing a bill, on time, that meets the needs of farmers, consumers, and our nation’s food system.”

Before the conference committee drafts a new bill and votes on it, they need to hear from their constituents that the farm bill is important to them. Please consider taking action by contacting your lawmakers today to tell them to support a stronger farm bill. You can find a list of conferees here.

Farm Bill Headed to Conference – Here’s how you can take action:

– If you haven’t already, please sign and share our Change.org petition with your friends and family!

– Call or write your legislators and let them know why they should support a stronger Farm Bill. If you’re new to advocacy and not sure where to start, you can find easy, step-by-step guides and background information here.

– Tweet your support. Let your followers that you support a strong farm bill, and encourage them to advocate for one too.

Learn more about how to advocate a farm bill that works for all of us at 2018farmbill.org.

Learn more about farm policy and agricultural politics from beginningfarmers.org at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/farm-policy-agricultural-politics/