Agriculture Committee Leaders Provide Broad Frameworks for Farm Bill
This week, both the House and Senate majorities published general summaries making up the core pillars of each respective Farm Bill legislative proposal. House Republicans led off with a title by title summary of the Republican version of the bill earlier this week. Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA-15) noted his intent to hold a markup hearing for their bill on May 23rd. Full legislative text would be released several days beforehand.
Senator Stabenow (D-MI) followed suit this week by releasing the section-by-section summary of the Senate Democratic proposal.
Senator Stabenow said in a statement, “This is that bill, and I welcome my Republican colleagues to take it seriously and rejoin us at the negotiating table so we can finish our work by the end of the year. Farmers, families, and rural communities cannot wait any longer on the 2024 Farm Bill.”
Ranking Member Boozman commented on the Chairwoman’s framework saying he is optimistic about the progress being made, and believes there is a path for bipartisan cooperation so long as the actions of the committee reflect the realities of farmers.
Notable programmatic differences between Chairman Thompson and Stabenow’s proposals center around freezing the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), major cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ideological differences in the deployment and limitations of crop insurance, and more.
Constitution Partners has prepared an outline of key sections within the published summaries. Once we have bill text from both the House and Senate, Constitution Partners will create a comparison between those two bills, as well as the 2018 Farm Bill on these key issues.
Please feel free to reach out to our team with any questions you may have in the meantime.
Conservation Title
Conservation Reserve Easements
Senate Proposal: Would establish a Conservation Reserve Easement program and require the Secretary to offer to enroll land subject to an expired covered contract into a conservation reserve easement.
House Proposal: Not specifically listed
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
Senate Proposal: Would give payment flexibility to participants, authorize dryland agricultural uses and grazing in a CREP agreement, and creates an option for streamlined contract updates for existing CREP partners.
House Proposal: Not specifically listed
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) & Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Senate Proposal: Would expand the defined purpose of EQIP through a modernization of program priorities. Would also improve payment calculation to more heavily account for GHG reduction practices, authorize a producer receiving EQIP funding to also receive loans/loan guarantees under the Conservation Loan and Loan Guarantee Program, and clarifies the Secretary’s waiver authority for limitations for water management entities to ensure eligibility in EQIP. The measure keeps the 50% livestock set-aside, keeps the 10$ wildlife habitat set-aside, and establishes a 10% set-aside of EQIP funds for small farms.
House Proposal: Would also promote precision agriculture activities while enhancing the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
Trade Title
International Markets
Senate Proposal: Would expand the annual report required under the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program to include further details on barriers to U.S. exports of specialty crops. Creates an interagency working group with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to monitor and assess market impacts of seasonal and perishable fruit and vegetable imports and recommend actions to support the competitiveness of U.S. producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables.
House Proposal: Expands the reach and impact of the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program.
Nutrition Title
Fruits & Vegetables Programs
Senate Proposal: Would states to use up to 20% of the cost of TEFAP commodities to purchase through DOD Fresh. The measure also extends authorization of appropriations for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for schools and service institutions through FY 2029. The proposal increases the federal match for the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) from 50% to 90% and opens the prescription produce programs up to all forms of fruits and vegetables.
House Proposal: Would require Thrifty Food Plan reevaluations include an external peer review process to ensure transparency and accountability. Aims to address concerns with agency overreach in deployment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Rural Development Title
ReConnect Program and General Broadband Matters
Senate Proposal: Would establish a grant and loan program for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband service in rural areas. Would also increase the autotoxication for rural development loans and grants by another $15 million each year for FY 25 through FY 29.
House Proposal: Would strengthen the broadband connectivity to rural communities and specifically notes precision agriculture, health care, and child care as key requirements for their proposals.
Water Programs
Senate Proposal: Would increase the maximum amount of financiing for the Water, Waste Disposal, and Wastewater Facility Grants program to $500,000 from $200,000. The measure would allow for multiyear awards for the Rural Water and Wastewater Technical Assistance and Training Program, estbalish a Rural Water and Wastewater Cybersecurity Circuit Rider program, an emergency preparedness and response technical assistance program, and more.
House Proposal: Would encourage private capital investments in rural communities and streamline the permitting process for Rural Development projects.
Research Title
General Research
Senate Proposal: Would reduce the officers number from 9 to 5 on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. Would convert AGARDA from a pilot program to a permanent initiative; would consider that qualified projects under the program include water conservation technologies and that the goals of the program include water conservation, the reduction, avoidance, sequestration, or mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and resilience to extreme weather, drought, and other stressors.
House Proposal: Would modernize agricultural research facilities maintain funding for the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program.
Specialty Crops
Senate Proposal: Would allow for the waiver of matching fund requirements of the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, while also establishing the Specialty Crop Mechanization and Automation Research and Development Program to provide an opportunity to offer grants in support of this research space.
House Proposal: Would increase funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative and also allocate funding for research and development of mechanization and automation technologies for the specialty crop industry.
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Page
Senate Proposal: Would provide $250 million in mandatory funds and establishes new transparency and research focus guidelines.
House Proposal: Not specifically listed.
Horticulture Title
Specialty Crop Block Grants
Senate Proposal: Would require coordination with specialty crop producers and producer groups as state program administrators establish priorities for each fiscal year. Also increases annual funding to $100 million.
House Proposal: Provides additional funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and directs program administrators to consult with specialty crop producers when setting priorities for the program.
Crop Insurance Title
Specialty Crop Insurance Advisory Committee
Senate Proposal: Would require the FCIC to create a Specialty Crop Insurance Advisory Committee, consisting of members representing the interests of a wide range of specialty crop insurance stakeholders in different geographical areas. The Advisory Committee may submit recommendations regarding new specialty crop policies, or the expansion of available specialty crop policies, to the Board, among other responsibilities.
House Version: Would direct research and development of new policies and establishes an advisory committee for more robust engagement with specialty crop producers.
Miscellaneous Title
Product of USA Label
Senate Proposal: Would create standards for voluntary U.S. origin labeling claims for Food Safety Inspection Service products.
House Version: Not specifically listed.
Precision Agriculture Standards
Senate Proposal: Would require the Secretary, within 2 years after the enactment of this Act, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture that will promote economies of scale and ease the burden of the adoption of precision agriculture.
House Version: Not specifically listed.
