With passage of their respective farm bills, the House and Senate are taking the formal steps to form the conference committee and begin negotiations to complete the legislative process. Among the many differences that the conference committee will need to resolve are those involving the conservation programs in Title II of each bill. The conservation […]
Tag Archives | Farm Bill
2018 Farm Bill: Two big steps forward and the top five issues for conference
By Jonathan Coppess, Gary Schnitkey, Nicholas Paulson and Carl Zulauf on July 9, 2018 in Agriculture, Food and Nutrition, Policy
On June 28, 2018, the Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of the 2018 farm bill with an historic 86 to 11 vote (U.S. Senate, Roll Call Vote 143). Senate passage followed on the heels of a very narrow, party-line re-vote in the House on June 21st finally passing the bill 213 to 211 (U.S. House […]
Progress and potential hurdles for the 2018 Farm Bill
By Jonathan Coppess, Gary Schnitkey, Nicholas Paulson and Carl Zulauf on June 20, 2018 in Agriculture, Policy
The odds for a farm bill in 2018 have improved considerably. On Wednesday, the Senate Ag Committee moved its version of a farm bill with a strong bipartisan vote (20 to 1) (Senate Ag Committee, 2018 Farm Bill; Farm Policy News, June 13, 2018). House leadership is attempting to resolve the immigration issue that contributed […]
Reviewing directions in conservation policy: CSP and EQIP in the House Farm Bill
The farm bill reported by the House Ag Committee and defeated on the House floor remains in a state of limbo (H.R. 2, Agricultural and Nutrition Act of 2018). Among the changes to policy contained in H.R. 2 are significant changes to conservation policy and programs. Specifically, the House Ag Committee eliminated the Conservation Stewardship […]
Initial review of the House 2018 Farm Bill
By Jonathan Coppess, Gary Schnitkey, Nicholas Paulson and Carl Zulauf on May 9, 2018 in Economics, Policy
On Thursday, April 18, 2018, the House Agriculture Committee reported its version of the farm bill titled the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (House Ag Committee Press Release, April 18, 2018). The vote to report the bill to the full House was 26 to 20 and notable because the vote was partisan; no Democrats voted […]
How much can the Sodsaver Provision in the 2014 Farm Bill save sod? It depends on crop prices.
Established in the 2008 Farm Bill and re-authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, the Sodsaver Provision aims to dis-incentivize converting native grassland to cropland by restricting crop insurance coverage or premium subsidy to cropland that is newly converted from native sod. We recently published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics that […]
Reviewing USDA’s Revised Conservation Compliance Regulation
On Friday, April 24, 2015, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) published its regulation for attaching conservation compliance to the portion of premium covered by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), known as premium subsidy. Section 2611 of the 2014 Farm Bill (Agricultural Act of 2014) made Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetlands conservation compliance provisions […]
Reviewing the USDA Proposal to Limit Farm Program Payment Eligibility
On March 24, 2015, USDA announced a proposed rule that further restricts farm program payments to those persons who are actively engaged in farming. USDA’s proposed rule is the result of the 2014 Farm Bill; it seeks to limit the number of individuals who previously qualified for farm program payments based solely on providing management […]
Evaluating Use of Conservation Policies for Pollinators
One of the suspected culprits in pollinator decline is the loss of the amount and diversity of forage habitat. This decline not only affects managed honey bees, but includes other pollinators, such as butterflies and moths. Wild bumblebees, for example, are crucial for pollinating some plants and who not only face declines in habitat but […]
The Link between Farm Policy and Farmland Values
One of the principal objectives of farm policy is to provide a financial safety net for America’s farmers. Since the depression era of the early 1930s, the Federal government has provided an ever-changing suite of policy tools designed to bolster farm incomes, limit financial volatility, and ensure the livelihood of America’s farm sector. The programs […]