The Farm Bill expired on September 30, Sept. 2023. The expiration followed House Ag Chair Thompson having traveled all over the country for listening sessions where he promised to get the Bill done on time.
Well, no. Farmers were right in thinking there would be no action until 2025. The disagreements? According to E&E Daily, the problem centers on climate-smart agriculture. Republicans are determined to oppose funding related to climate change, in spite of the fact that “climate-smart” ag helps farmers adjust to the changing weather patterns. Democrats “are insistent as ever that they won’t let the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding stray from “climate-smart” agriculture, even if they do allow unspent money from the law to be wrapped into the farm bill.” Republicans demand to spend the funds on commodity programs or basic conservation programs — no investments for the future of farms and lands.
Larry Lee, Brownfield: MANY FARMERS BELIEVE FARM BILL STALLS UNTIL ’25