2023 Farm Bill Will Come Down to the Wire

The 2023 farm bill is coming down to the wire and according to the June Ag economists Monthly Monitor the majority of ag economists surveyed say it's unlikely the bill will be written before the current legislation expires September 30.  However, some think it could be done by the end of the year. 

There is a strong desire among leadership to get a farm bill done on time.  While language is being drafted, some ag leaders say delivering a bill before expiration may be tough with the ag committees still actively holding hearings.  National Cattlemen's Beef Association president Todd Wilkinson says, "You know frankly I would have to tell you I'm not very optimistic that we're going to get the farm bill done but I think it's better to get it done right, rather than to miss out on some things."

There is consensus on priorities among lawmakers and farm groups such as preserving crop insurance but also enhancing it and ARC, PLC programs it in light of inflation and record production costs for the 2023 crop. 

John Newton, Chief Economist with the Senate Ag Committee says, "So we've heard from growers across the country that we need to modernize and update the risk management tools that they have update the title one programs, the information that were you using for those reference prices and Title One were established using data that's over a decade old, so we need to modernize the safety net make sure farmers have all the tools available to deal with the risks they face."

That will require higher prices, so there is a call to increase the baseline.  Plus, throw in administration priorities like nutrition and climate smart ag programs.  The challenge is where to find additional dollars.

Sam Kieffer, Vice President for Public Policy with the American Farm Bureau Federation says, "Senator Stabenow has come out and said that there is no more new money. Chair Chairman Thompson has not yet made that concession and he continues to work with leadership in the House to see if they can find additional funding for an effective farm bill and Chairman Thompson's number one priority is not just to get a farm bill done, but that'd be effective policy."

Newton adds, "On the conservation side, I think a lot of folks who are looking at the $20 billion or so that was in the inflation reduction Act. I think about is there a way that we can bring that into the farm bill to create permanent baseline for some of those conservation related programs."

While the CBO score is already at $1.5 trillion over 10 years, $1.2 trillion is for the nutrition title alone.  So Kieffer says t's also a food bill.  "We've taken everything in the farm bill that is not nutrition related. It's still less than one half of 1% of federal spending in a single year."

Livestock producers also want dollars for foreign animal disease prevention, disaster preparedness and traceability.  However, Wilkinson says they’re also playing defense. "From the beef side our big deal is do no harm. So, we'd rather have them knock which brings into the Farm Bill. In kind of an omnibus fashion that all of a sudden causes problems."

So, an extension may be needed, bringing the risk the farm bill will get embroiled in politics in a presidential election year.