New Farm Bill Signed Into Law

February 8, 2014

U.S. farmers will no longer get automatic checks from the government under new agriculture legislation President Obama signed into law Friday.  But critics say the new Farm Bill simply replaces the old subsidies with new ones that may violate international trade rules.  The bill also includes reforms in how the U.S. helps the hungry around the world.

The Farm Bill Obama signed ended $5 billion per year in automatic payments to farmers.

“This bill helps to clamp down on loopholes that allowed people to receive benefits whether they were planting crops or not. And it saves taxpayers hard-earned dollars by making sure that we only support farmers when disaster strikes or prices drop. It’s not just automatic,” the president said.

The new Farm Bill expands programs that buffer growers from bad weather or bad markets.

It raises the minimum price growers are guaranteed for certain crops. And it offers subsidized insurance that guarantees farmers’ incomes do not drop much from year to year.

After more than two years of dedicated work toward passage, farmers and ranchers from across the nation now have answers about how they can manage the many and varied risks they face in producing food and fiber, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman.

“It’s been a bumpy road for the farm bill over the past several years, with many twists and turns, but farmers never gave up nor lost momentum in working toward its passage,” Stallman said. “Farm Bureau believes this farm bill will give farmers and ranchers a measure of business certainty for this and coming years, allowing them to better manage risk while carrying out the important business of providing food and jobs for America.”

Stallman credited congressional Agriculture Committee leaders, House Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), House Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Senate Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Senate Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), for their leadership, perseverance and cooperation during what was a long, difficult and politically charged farm bill cycle.

Including the cuts already made through sequestration, the Farm Bill will save $23 billion over the next 10 years. It will enhance rural economies with additional jobs, invest in research and education and include reform that works for farm and ranch families. Importantly, the bill also provides disaster provisions for livestock producers and fruit and vegetable growers.

“This bill strengthens crop insurance so farmers like me will have the tools we need to survive a weather disaster,” LaCross said prior to introducing President Obama for the signing ceremony in Michigan.

Elsewhere in the Farm Bill, changes should help food aid get to more needy people around the world.

Aid groups can spend more of the funding they receive buying food from markets near where it will be used, rather than from the United States.

“Not only will that save money, but it will reach people faster,” said Oxfam America’s Eric Munoz.  “The actual program of buying locally is a much quicker response than buying food from the United States and shipping it.”

Munoz says with the same funding, help can now reach hundreds of thousands more hungry people.

Pictured top and inset: A North Escambia farmer harvests peanuts last year in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com file photo. Pictured inset:  President Barack Obama tours Michigan Biotechnology Institute with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in Lansing, Mich., on Friday.


Comments

6 Responses to “New Farm Bill Signed Into Law”

  1. james on February 11th, 2014 11:46 pm

    “Obama signed ended $5 billion per year in automatic payments to farmers.”

    Why is Obama giving out welfare to farmers? We should cut it completely farmers don’t need welfare! Does he plan to give every other private business a subsidy as well? I don’t think so

  2. John on February 10th, 2014 3:20 pm

    Congressman Jeff Miller is from Chumuckla. The representative is Doug Broxson and he is from the south end of Santa Rosa County. This farm bill will hurt the consumer. The government subsidizes agricultural products and that is why farm subsidies were started. Ten dollars for a gallon of milk is now a possiblity. Don’t you just love Washington?…..First Obamacare and now this. Once again they have managed to hurt the working man. I really pray that the next President we get loves our country. Because the one we have now is a “sad joke” and history will portray him as such.

  3. Jane on February 9th, 2014 4:43 am

    What do all the farmers out there think of this bill? Since I don’t farm I would like to hear their opinions. Does it hurt them or help them? What about the cost of food…does it go up because they passed this bill?

  4. molino jim on February 8th, 2014 3:18 pm

    Please help me understand— we cut the help for people in need in our country, then send cash to other countries to feed people there. I guess it would not be logical to keep shipping food to other countries that we have grown. I know that none of the money spent in other countries is not going to disappear down some “rat hole” and only enrich the administrator in the other country.

  5. nod on February 8th, 2014 9:45 am

    isn,t graig bailey the rep from Chumuckla ???

  6. Craig Bailey on February 8th, 2014 3:26 am

    This is a great example of both sides working together. They actually passed a bill that makes sense! I hope the Representative from Chumuckla , (his name escapes me), voted for it.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News