This Farm Bill Discussion Should Be About Policy, Less About Politics

Hunter Carpenter from the Agricultural Retailers Association shares a bit more about the timing of the pending Farm Bill deadline and how in 2018 even getting the bill done 4 months late is now considered “on time.”

The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire at the end of September. When Congress resumes, their top two priorities will have to be met before the Farm Bill becomes a priority. 

“We have a government shutdown looming at the end of September should they not get the funding bills done,” Carpenter says. “So, first and foremost, the top priorities are to keep the government open and to pass appropriations bills.”

Carpenter isn’t optimistic the Farm Bill will be addressed by its deadline. 

“I think the expiration is pretty imminent, and it looks like we're going to see the end of September come and go without the 2023 Farm Bill being passed. There's just probably not enough legislative days on the calendar to get something done in time, although stranger things have happened,” he says. 

Most recently the 2018 Farm Bill was extended by four months to receive its passage. That year Hunter says having a single part in the House, Senate and White House (Republicans) helped with its timeline. 

“Now with a much more divided Congress and administration, it's going to be tough to get it across the finish line by the end of September,” he says. “There are a lot of different ideas and thoughts about when a farm bill could get done whether they do an extension and kick it into 2024 or if they try to get something done by the end of the calendar year–I think that's yet to be seen.” 

What happens it he Farm Bill expires? 

“The good news is a lot of the permanent funding in the Farm Bill will keep programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits program– SNAP benefits–open. Crop insurance payments are done on the calendar year basis, not on the Farm Bill expiration date, so people will still be getting payments for commodities and other farm related services. So conservation programs will still be kept open,” Carpenter says. 

But he says into 2024, funding becomes unclear and complicated. 

“The problem is this Farm Bill has been more about spending and less about actual policy. It's going to put us behind the eight ball moving forward to get things done. As you know, the government shutdown looms and that could play a whole other role in the process,” Carpenter says. 

He adds, “We really have been pushing for this Farm Bill discussion to be more about policy and less about politics.”