Farm bill efforts are intensifying despite seemingly long odds again this year. The American Farm Bureau Federation and other farm groups are not taking ‘no’ for an answer despite the huge election year-farm bill hurdles and a quickly closing legislative window.
AFBF Managing Director of Government Affairs, Ryan Yates says “Farm Bureau’s a great convenor of people. Our offices are going to be stacked between now and May with Farm Bureau members from across the country—all of them will be going to the Hill.”
Yates says that is to bring the “grassroots” push for a farm bill and other key ag issues directly to lawmakers. But AFB’s farm bill campaign goes further. He says, “We have a campaign, “Farm Bill for America’s Families.” We’ve got interest from hunger, nutrition, conservation, and farm commodities, all working together to leverage one message, and that’s we need to get a farm bill done.”
And, despite different priorities, to unite the entire farm and food system behind that goal. Yates says, “From conservation, food and nutrition, agriculture, I think the one continued message is we need a farm bill, we need a good farm bill, and we need to get it done.”
The 2018 farm bill expired on October 1st and was extended one year, but its subsidies and provisions are outdated given inflation, higher interest rates, and lingering supply chain pandemic impacts.
