Did Somebody Say Farm Bill?

Typically farm bills set U.S. agriculture and food policy for five to ten year periods. And ever since the most recent bill was signed in 2008, AFT has been working to help finalize the details of its’ implementation.

So in between farm bills, you sometimes think the next one is a long way over the horizon. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) quickly brought us back to reality when he announced that his committee will hold 2012 Farm Bill hearings starting in March, and that agriculture will have to live within a “baseline bill” —the money currently available in the federal budget.

I was really excited to see that Chairman Peterson also said he expects more focus on a revenue-based safety net. As many of you will remember, the ACRE program that AFT and the National Corn Growers worked so hard to include in the 2008 Farm Bill, is a revenue-based safety net, and one of our great successes in that effort.

 I’m proud to say that the ACRE program has gotten off to a successful start this year, too!

Former Congressman Charlie Stenholm echoed some of Chairman Peterson’s words this week too, noting that agriculture won’t escape budget cuts and “telling reporters he expects lots of discussion on ways to improve agricultural programs while cutting spending…direct payments are endangered.”

Here at AFT, were keeping all of this in mind and are starting to plan our part in advancing the direction of U.S. farm and food policy to best serve producers and consumers. We’ll keep you posted as the 2012 Farm Bill gets rolling, and I hope you’ll look forward to getting involved with our efforts in the months ahead.

About the Author: Jon Scholl is President of American Farmland Trust. Prior to AFT, he served as Counselor to the Administrator for Agriculture Policy at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.