Traveling to Washington, D.C. to advocate on the 2024 Farm Bill and other policy issues, a California Farm Bureau delegation, including the Leadership Farm Bureau class, meets with John Newton, center, chief economist for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Farm Bureau advocates for passage of 2024 Farm Bill
By Christine Souza Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate agricul- ture committees released title-by-title frameworks of the 2024 Farm Bill, om- nibus legislation to support the nation’s farmers and ranchers through a variety of safety-net, farm-loan, conservation and disaster-assistance programs. The 2018 Farm Bill, originally set to ex- pire in 2023 but extended last year, comes up for renewal in September. The latest farm bill outlines were released May 1. The California Farm Bureau board of di- rectors, members of this year’s Leadership Farm Bureau class and the organization’s federal policy team were in Washington, D.C., early this month, meeting with law- makers and staff to advocate on issues, including the farm bill. Noting that farmers face a challenging economy with low commodity prices, high inflation and rising input costs, California Farm Bureau First Vice President Shaun Crook said passing a 2024 Farm Bill this year is critical. “It is important to increase baseline funding for all programs because we in agriculture are in a drastically different economic environment in 2024 than we were in 2016 when the last farm bill was ne- gotiated,” said Crook, a Tuolumne County forester and logger. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa.,
chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, released the committee’s out- line for the legislation, which guides U.S. farm and nutrition policies. The document includes investments in the farm safety net, conservation, research and forestry. “Each title of this farm bill reflects a commitment to the American farmer and viable pathways to funding those com- mitments and is equally responsive to the politics of the 118th Congress,” Thompson said in a statement. The House Committee on Agriculture is expected to release final language this week and consider amendments during a bill markup set for May 23. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, released the com- mittee framework, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act. It includes in- vestments in the farm safety net, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, climate-smart con- servation practices and addresses foreign ownership of farmland. “This is a serious proposal that reflects bipartisan priorities to keep farmers farming, families fed and rural communities strong,” Stabenow said in a statement. “The foundation of every successful farm bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan coalition of farmers, See BILL, Page 8
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May 15, 2024 Ag Alert 3
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