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1 1 (Updated October 18, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goverar0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Se~ Informing the legislitive debate s~nee 1914 ice Updated October 18, 2024 Farm Bill Primer: Background and Status The farm bill is an omnibus, multiyear law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. It provides an opportunity for policymakers to comprehensively and periodically address agricultural and food issues. The farm bill has typically been renewed about every five years since the 1930s (CRS Report R45210, Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2024). at's n a Farm Bill? The breadth of the farm bill is optional and largely determined by the joint jurisdiction of the House and Senate agriculture committees. Farm bills initially focused on farm commodity program support for a handful of staple commodities-corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts, dairy, and sugar. Farm bills have become increasingly expansive since 1973, when a nutrition title was first included. Other prominent additions include policies that had been stand-alone laws, such as conservation, credit, and research. New topics have emerged, such as bioenergy and horticulture. The current House-proposed farm bill (H.R. 8467) and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334) contain 12 titles (see text box). The omnibus nature of the farm bill can create broad coalitions for policies that individually might not have a majority of support in the legislative process. In recent years, more stakeholders have become involved in the farm bill debate representing conservation, rural development, nutrition, local food systems, and organic production. When Does the Farm BlExpire? The 2018 farm bill was written to cover five years through FY2023 and the 2023 crop year. In November 2023, Congress enacted a one-year extension to cover FY2024 and the 2024 crop year (P.L. 118-22, Division B, §102). Without reauthorization, some farm bill programs expire and may not continue operations. Most nutrition assistance programs can be continued by providing appropriations. Farm commodity programs need to be reauthorized for future crop years. The farm bill also suspends long- abandoned permanent laws from the 1940s for the farm commodity programs that used supply controls and price regimes that would be costly to implement if their suspension expires. Other programs like crop insurance have permanent authority and do not need reauthorization (CRS Report R47659, Expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill and Extension for 2024). What Does the Farm Bil Cost? Farm bills authorize programs in two spending categories: mandatory and discretionary. They authorize mandatory funding for programs based on multiyear budget estimates (baseline) and estimates of what provisions in newly enacted bills cost (scores). Programs authorized for discretionary funding are not funded by the farm bill and depend on future appropriations action. Mandatory programs usually dominate the farm bill debate (CRS In Focus IF12233, Farm Bill Primer: Budget Dynamics). Farm bills have both 5-year and 10-year budget projections for the programs that operate as entitlements based on formulas and eligibility criteria. The 10-year projection for the 2018 farm bill was $867 billion over FY2019-FY2028 (Table 1). Four titles accounted for 99% of the 2018 farm bill's mandatory spending: nutrition (primarily the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP), farm commodities, crop insurance, and conservation. Programs in all other farm bill titles accounted for about 1% of mandatory outlays and receive mostly discretionary funds. Titles in Recent Farm Bills Title 1, Commodities: Provides support for major commodity crops, including wheat, corn, soybeans, peanuts, rice, dairy, and sugar. Authorizes disaster assistance. Title II, Conservation: Encourages environmental stewardship of farmlands and improved management through land retirement programs, working lands programs, or both. Title III, Trade: Supports U.S. agricultural export programs and international food assistance programs. Title IV, Nutrition: Provides nutrition assistance for low- income households through programs, including SNAP. Title V, Credit: Offers direct government loans and guarantees to producers to buy land and operate farms and ranches. Title VI, Rural Development: Supports rural housing, community facilities, business, and utility programs through grants, loans, and guarantees. Title VII, Research, Extension, and Related Matters: Supports agricultural research and extension programs to expand academic knowledge and help producers be more productive. Title VIII, Forestry: Supports forestry management programs run by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. Title IX, Energy: Encourages the development of farm and community renewable energy systems through various programs, including grants and loan guarantees. Title X, Horticulture: Supports the production of specialty crops, USDA-certified organic foods, and locally produced foods and authorizes a regulatory framework for industrial hemp. Title XI, Crop Insurance: Enhances risk management through the permanently authorized Federal Crop Insurance Program. Title XII, Miscellaneous: Includes programs and assistance for livestock and poultry production, support for beginning farmers and ranchers, and other miscellaneous and general provisions.

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