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| AFBF President Bob Stallman |
House-Senate
negotiators reached agreement and filed a new farm bill late Monday: a nearly
960-page measure that combines a landmark rewrite of commodity programs
together with bipartisan reforms and savings from food stamps.
Factoring
in cuts already made during two years of debate, the bill should generate about
$23 billion in 10-year savings, a third of which is attributed to the nutrition
title. The single-largest savings will come from ending direct cash payments to
farmers, which cost more than $4 billion annually. This nearly 18-year-old
program will be replaced by two options linked to real market losses. But the
total dollars within the commodity title are projected to be substantially
less, and more than ever, crop insurance emerges as the backbone of the farm
safety net.
The
American Farm Bureau Federation is urging House members to pass H.R. 2642, the
2014 farm bill. “The bill will provide farmers and ranchers certainty for the
coming year and allow the Agriculture Department to begin planning for
implementation of the bill’s provisions,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman in a
statement. Stallman described the legislation as a solid bill that includes
many Farm Bureau-supported provisions, including risk management for fruit and
vegetable farmers and support for livestock farmers during disasters.
Below
is his full statement:
“The
American Farm Bureau Federation urges House and Senate members to pass H.R.
2642, the 2014 Farm Bill. The bill will provide farmers and ranchers certainty
for the coming year and allow the Agriculture Department to begin planning for
implementation of the bill’s provisions.
“We
appreciate the hard work of the conferees to get the farm bill to this point.
They had many tough decisions to make, but were able to move forward with a
solid bill that includes many Farm Bureau-supported provisions. We are
particularly pleased with provisions to provide risk management to fruit and
vegetable farmers and to support livestock farmers during disasters. We now
urge House members to bring it on home by voting in support of the bill.
“It is
imperative that all of agriculture unify behind this farm bill, for the good of
the whole of American agriculture, consumers, our hard-working farm and ranch
families and the rural communities they support.”
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