Introduction Congress is struggling to pass a new Farm Bill- which is required once every 5 years. This important piece of legislation provides funding for important agricultural and environmental programs which support our farmers as well as funding for programs that help put food in the hands of folks who need it most. What’s the…
Read More2024 Farm Bill Action Page
MCE’s campaign work for the 2023 Farm Bill is underway! Together with our partners in the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, we are working to ensure the next Farm Bill supports our farmers, our health, and our environment. Marker bills have been introduced – these are what we describe as “draft pages” of the final Farm…
Read MoreTitle XII: Miscellaneous
The Miscellaneous Title of the Farm Bill is divided into four sections: livestock; socially disadvantaged and limited-resource producers; other miscellaneous; and a fourth section on oilheat efficiency, research, and jobs training. Title XII established programs under the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) in its livestock subtitle, including the National Animal Disease Preparedness Response Program…
Read MoreTitle XI: Crop Insurance
The Crop Insurance Title of the 2018 Farm Bill states that producers are eligible for crop insurance if there is enough supporting data available to support a claim of losses. It makes available subsidized insurance policies for about 130 commodities and crops, including commodities like corn, soy, wheat, cotton, and others additionally covered by the programs…
Read MoreTitle X: Horticulture
Title X includes the most programs that support specialty crops (fruit, vegetables, and tree nuts) including organics and local foods. These programs incentivize specialty crops, promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, promote organic agriculture, and provide funding for pest identification and control. The 2018 Farm Bill creates the new program, the Local Agriculture Market Program…
Read MoreTitle IX: Energy
The Energy title of the Farm Bill addresses renewable energy programs used to incentivize research, development, and adoption of renewable energy projects and energy efficiency. As a whole, mandatory funding for Title IX decreased from $694 million to $375 million while appropriations increased from $690 million to $835 million from 2014 to 2018. The Rural…
Read MoreTitle VIII: Forestry
The Farm Bill’s Title VIII addresses forestry research and assistance, especially on private lands. Most programs are authorized primarily under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act, the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act, and the Healthy Forest Restoration Act. Although most programs are permanently authorized, the programs that did require reauthorization and successfully obtained it include…
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