Agricultural and Food Policy
 Agri Outlook
Radio
Number 68
Policy Question: When will we have a new farm bill? (3:05 minutes)
Audio/Video Script:
Dr. Bobby Coats
Extension Economist
University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture
When will we have a new farm bill? I’m Bobby Coats Extension Economist
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
When will we have a new farm bill?
Good progress is being made in writing the new farm bill. All farm bills have
their own set of challenges. All farm bills have their own set of alternatives
and consequences to be considered. This farm bill is no different.
In fact it has been decades since a farm bill was this difficult to write,
due to a vast array of economic and policy considerations.
The trend in U.S. and international farm support policy is for producers to
increasingly respond to global market signals, but in a world where food
security, nationalism, and food protectionism is more the rule than the
exception then many challenges and considerations exist in crafting farm
legislation.
That said the United States is the leader in the new global movement toward
increasingly open markets and free trade. The problem is that many countries
want market access into our country at a vastly more liberal level than they are
willing to give market access into their country. Trade is extremely important,
but one-sided or unreasonable and unfair trade that sacrifices our producers for
a so called “better good” seems abusive to our producers and damaging to the
U.S. agricultural sector.
Therefore, Congress is in the process of crafting a new farm bill that
achieves farm support objectives and continues the trend of transitioning our
producers into responding to global market signals in an orderly progressive
manner without sacrificing our producers to the protectionism that exists in
country after country around the world. Since only 22 percent of the farm bill
now addresses farm support programs, Congress is also in the process of writing
a new farm bill that will address the nation’s nutrition and food assistance,
agricultural and food trade, rural development needs, marketing, conservation,
environmental, food safety, and alternative energy needs.
So given the previously stated, when will we have a new farm bill?
If I had to give just one answer then I would expect to have a new farm bill
in place by April of next year. If Congress remains in session into December
then it is possible to have a new farm bill by Christmas.
Without question Congressional members are to be commended for their
dedication to the process of writing a new farm bill.
This has been Bobby Coats Extension Economist University of Arkansas Division
of Agriculture.
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