The Farm Bill Expired – What Now?
By Leslie Woods, Rep. for Domestic Poverty &
Environmental Issues and
Nelson Cowan, Intern for Public Witness
As
Presbyterians trying to make faithful political decisions, we can find solace
and agreement in that “...we seek a
sustainable stewardship society shaped for the common good..." (220th General Assembly, 2012).
Despite its
misleading name, the Farm Bill affects all facets of society - from urban
populations, to rural communities, to developing countries. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
(NSAC):
The farm bill is the nation’s major
food and agricultural policy vehicle and is about much more than the big ticket
items: food stamps, crop insurance, and commodity support. The farm bill is also about conservation and
environmental protection, rural economic and community development, food system
reform and agricultural research.[i]
The Farm
Bill was up for reauthorization this year, but lack of action in Congress allowed
the 2008 Farm Bill to expire as of last Monday, October 1, 2012. What changes and what does not?
The Farm
Bill's largest component, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,
formerly known as Food Stamps), will remain
funded through at least March, 2013, due to a Continuing Resolution (CR) to
fund the government for six months of Fiscal year 2013. Similarly, the next
largest component of the farm bill, crop insurance, will remain funded because
of the Federal Crop Insurance Act, which is permanently authorized and
therefore, does not require reauthorization along with most other Ag programs.[ii]
Together, these two programs account for approximately 90% of Farm Bill
appropriations. Although these programs are secure for the time being, action
must be taken by Congress to pass a new Farm Bill in order to make longer, more
secure arrangements.
What are
the immediate implications of the expired Farm Bill? -- mostly conservation and sustainable
agriculture programs will be affected right away -- Farm law reverts
to permanent law contained in the 1938 and 1949 farm bills. Each successive farm bill since that time has
suspended permanent law for the period of time provided for the newly enacted
farm bill, but never before has reauthorization of the Farm Bill been scheduled
for an election year. The vitriolic
politics surrounding the current election have made it virtually impossible for
elected officials to come to a compromise, even on a bill that usually gains
bipartisan support without trouble. Without
a new authorization, policy crafted for a very different agricultural society
will take effect.
In short,
as the NSAC puts it,
With no new farm bill or extension,
the programs that address rural and urban job creation, natural resource
conservation, renewable energy, and improved production and access to healthy
food are in big trouble.
With the expiration of the farm
bill, farmers will not be enrolling sensitive land in ecological restoration
projects. Training opportunities for the
next generation of beginning farmers will dry up. Microloans to the very small businesses that
drive economic recovery in rural America will cease. Emerging farmers markets in rural and urban
food deserts will not have access to startup grants. Organic farming researchers will not be able
to compete for any dedicated research funds.
Grants to encourage on-farm energy
conservation, to fund fruit and vegetable research, to assist minority and
tribal farmers, to rebuild local and regional food systems, to invest in
emerging farmer and community owned food businesses with high consumer demand,
and to transfer land to young farmers will also be put on hold.
These are casualties of
Congressional inaction.[iii]
The PC(USA)
has strongly supported programs that support rural communities, new and
disadvantaged farmers, and sustainable and ecologically sound agriculture. With the expiration of the bill, many small,
but innovative and effective programs have either completely expired or will
cease to entertain new enrollment.
One such
program is the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), which
was developed to address and counteract the challenge of the rising age of U.S.
farmers and the concern that the younger generation will not be equipped to
continue in this line of work. Despite
being one of the most successful programs in the Farm Bill, it will receive no funding
until further action is taken. Thus, new
farmer training opportunities, microloans, and start-up grants will cease. Furthermore,
organic farming researchers will no longer be able to compete for dedicated
research funds, thereby stifling innovation, a hallmark of our nation's ethos.
What about SNAP and other nutrition programs? In 2011, SNAP kept 3.9 million
people above the poverty line.[iv]
The advantage of a program like SNAP is that its mandatory nature ensures that
it can serve everyone who has need and is eligible. It functions counter-cyclically with the
economy, expanding when times are difficult and more people are in need, and
contracting as the economy improves and more people go back to work. Because of the elastic nature of this
program, it is one of our most effective anti-hunger tools during times of
economic downtown, not to mention that is puts spending power into the hands of
people who need to spend in their local grocery stores, pumping new cash into
local economies and a sluggish recovery.
Despite the fact that SNAP makes up the single highest expenditure in
the Farm Bill, it should not be one targeted for savings.
The Legislative Situation:
The U.S.
Senate has passed a Farm Bill reauthorization, the “Agriculture Reform, Food,
and Jobs Act” by a bipartisan vote of 64-35 on June 21st. The House of Representatives also has a bill,
which has passed out of committee but not been considered by the full
House. The House bill makes significant
reductions in SNAP funding, upwards of $16 billion over the next 10 years
compared to the Senate bill’s $4.49 billion reduction, which, though smaller,
remains too much in a time of economic crisis and sluggish recovery.[v]
It is
difficult to predict what will happen with these bills in coming months. Some predict that these bills will get pushed
through during the lame duck session and combined into a joint bill. But others
are skeptical that Congress will come to any agreement during the Lame Duck
session of Congress following the election.
Indeed, as people who believe that God desires daily bread for each of
us, the next six months will be crucial for advocating for a just farm bill
that ensures our nation’s agricultural priorities support the farmers who need
help, develop sustainable, healthy, local food systems, protect the natural
world, and ensure that the great bounty of this nation, which is abundant
indeed, reaches each one of us, so that every person might have enough.
Stay tuned
to the Office of Public Witness blog and action alert email system for ways
that you can weigh in as the Farm Bill debate drags on.
"As
followers of Jesus Christ who live in relative affluence, American
Presbyterians must consider the possibility that God places a responsibility
upon each of us to use all the means available to us to see that just and
sustainable human development becomes a reality for the whole human family in
harmony with all of God's creation."
- Hope for a Global Future: Toward a Just and Sustainable
Human Development
Approved by the 208th General Assembly in 1996
Further Reading:
PHP Post, the most recent issue includes an article on the Farm Bill
Just Living, sustainable lifestyle choices from the Enough for Everyone Program
Save the Date for our upcoming Advocacy Training Weekend focusing on Food Justice, including Compassion Peace and Justice Training Day and Ecumenical Advocacy Days!
[iv]
"As Poverty Remains Unacceptably High, Coalition on Human Needs Calls on
Congress to Preserve Programs Proven to Lift Families
out of Poverty." Coalition of Human Needs. September 12, 2012.
