Lorie Farrell
What the heck does the farm bill mean? How does it work for consumers, farmers and all of us? It's a huge issue that changes with each new Farm Bill that is passed. *Clarity helps avoid confusion. *
Foundational facts first.
USDA, Farmbill, Facts
This week, Congress will vote on a massive farm bill that will set the course of U.S. food policy for the next half-decade. The old farm bill expired in 2012, and its replacement (pdf) is 959 pages long, costing some $956.4 billion over 10 years. So what's actually in it?
February 4, 2014 With the 2014 Farm Bill recently signed into law, NSAC is doing a seven-part series here on our blog that delves into the details of the bill for sustainable food and farming systems. This first post summarizes the big picture funding decisions reflected in the final bill.
The U.S. government has been protecting farmers against unpredictable hardships such as bad weather since the 1930s, when drought and the Great Depression devastated the nation's agriculture industry. Today, agricultural subsidies and insurance cost the U.S. taxpayers about $20 billion annually, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Here's why the farm bill works for you By Gene Hall It doesn't matter which side of the fence you're on, the farm bill signed by President Obama on Friday works for you. If you are a farmer, the bill plants a firm safety net when Mother Nature plays contrarian with droughts, floods and other weather disasters.
