Democrats held power in the Senate and Republicans are now in control of the House of Representatives. Experts are split on how much of a struggle it will be to pass a farm bill, but that is nothing new.
“The last couple of farm bills have been defeated on the floor, and the one I did was vetoed,” former Minnesota congressman Collin Peterson said.
Peterson said it may be easier to pass a farm bill with a narrowly divided house.
“This is agriculture, and we aren’t necessarily polarized or partisan,” he said. “The last couple of farm bills, the issue that has kept us divided is nutrition. The leaders of the House need to ask the minority what they need — not what they want — on nutrition and start from there.
“Another stumbling block could be all this climate stuff, but I think that can be worked through.”
Jonathan Coppess, University of Illinois farm policy expert, said he expects difficulties coming into the debate for a farm bill.
“The outlook for a farm bill next year is a challenging one at best,” he said.
When work does begin on a new farm bill, John Jackson, a political scientist with Southern Illinois University’s Public Policy Institute, said he believes there shouldn’t be a large upheaval going into discussions.
“I think basic farm programs will be safe,” Jackson said. “I don’t think there will be any significant change in those. Farmers haven’t forgotten that they did alright under President Trump when he got the trade war with China going. He and Congress, or without in some cases, shoveled billions of dollars in direct payments. That’s past history but relevant history.”
One agenda item some would like addressed is land availability for young farmers. The National Young Farmers Coalition said access to land and capital is something her group hopes to focus on when advocating for a new farm bill.
“The ability to access financing is foundational to accessing secure land,” the organization said in their recent report. “Affordable federal sources of financing are crucial but must be designed to meet farmers’ needs and help them compete in a real estate market often driven by non-farmer buyers and investors.”
American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall said many circumstances have changed since the last farm bill passed in 2018.
“Farmers have faced significant challenges from market volatility, increased input costs and devastating natural disasters,” Duvall said, when releasing thier priorities in October. “Despite these headwinds, farmers and ranchers have met the needs of consumers both here and abroad while continuing to improve our environmental stewardship.”
Duvall said the AFBF is focused on prioritizing risk management tools such as federal crop insurance and ensuring “adequate USDA staffing” to assist farmers through the sign-up process.
Jackson said there should be strong support for expanding broadband to rural areas. It has been addressed in infrastructure bills but could be discussed further. He said staffing and subsidies for rural hospitals is also likely to be discussed in relation to, but not involved in, a farm bill.
