Both the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees held their first hearings on the 2023 farm bill in March, signaling that the pace is starting to pick up on passage of a new bill.

Indiana Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation have been working toward this for months and have already begun the process of communicating Farm Bureau’s priorities for the bill.

“We’re focusing on the big three – crop insurance, conservation and nutrition,” said Brantley Seifers, INFB’s national affairs coordinator.

Over the next several months, INFB will be working to set up listening sessions across the state with INFB’s legislators, noted INFB President Randy Kron.

“As Congress continues to work on the 2023 farm bill, it is imperative for our members to remain engaged and advocate for our priorities,” Kron said.

AFBF has developed some general principles to guide development of programs in the next farm bill:

• Increase baseline for farm bill program spending.
• Maintain a unified farm bill which keeps nutrition programs and farm programs together.
• Any changes to current farm legislation must be an amendment to the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 or the Agricultural Act of 1949.
• Prioritize risk management tools and funding for both federal crop insurance and commodity programs.
• Ensure adequate USDA staffing capacity and technical assistance.

The farm bill is a multiyear law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. In addition to developing and enacting farm legislation, Congress is involved in overseeing its implementation. The farm bill typically is renewed about every five years. Since the 1930s, Congress has enacted 18 farm bills, according to the Congressional Research Service.

“The 2018 farm bill is set to expire at the end of September. Our hope is that the House and Senate can quickly pass a farm bill before the September deadline, but it is more likely that we see an extension in September and a new farm bill signed into law later this year,” Seifers added.

Read more about AFBF’s farm bill priorities at fb.org/issue/farm-policy.

The Congressional Research Service’s “Farm Bill Primer” can be found on the CRS website.