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:
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.