The Farm Bill has already been postponed twice, and as summer approaches, the odds of it getting passed this year are looking slim. Many of the programs within the bill are long overdue for updates—everything from crop insurance to conservation and nutrition programs. While some of these issues are now being addressed through the Reconciliation Bill, that workaround raises concerns. Could shifting critical ag policy into a separate piece of legislation end up sidelining the broader Farm Bill entirely, and what would that mean for the farmers depending on it?
We took that question to Iowa Senator Joni Ernst to hear her perspective on what this could mean for the future of the Farm Bill.
We also posed that question to Iowa Third District Congressman Zach Nunn, who says we can’t let the nutrition title consume the entire Farm Bill—but we also can’t balance the federal budget, or any program, on the backs of the country’s most vulnerable.
As debate continues, farmers are left waiting, hoping for a comprehensive bill that supports both agriculture and families alike.
