Milling & Baking News - June 19, 2018 - 15

Washington

Senate agriculture committee
passes bipartisan farm bill

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

programs in the title are extended
largely unchanged. In general, existing SNAP work requirements are
slightly modified, with some additional funding for education and
training. The controversial changes
proposed by the House Ag Committee to work and eligibility requirements, as well as other benefit calculations, are not included in the
Senate draft. There also does not
appear to be any controversial revisions that would reduce benefits to
participating households or reduce
participation."
Farm commodity organizations
applauded the passage of the Senate

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITIOIN & FORESTRY

WASHINGTON - By a vote of 20 to
1, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on June
13 approved the bipartisan Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, a bill
that would reauthorize farm and
nutrition programs for the next five
years, or through fiscal 2023. Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
of Kentucky indicated the Senate
may consider and vote on the farm
bill before the July 4 recess.
Unlike the House farm bill, which
was passed by the House Committee on Agriculture on a party-line
vote but was defeated on the House
floor in April, the Senate farm bill
has broad support on both sides of
the aisle. This bipartisan support
reflected agreement on general farm
policy as well as on maintaining the
integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program without
imposing the significantly more
stringent work and training requirements on SNAP recipients that ensured the House bill received not
a single Democratic vote either in
the agriculture committee or on the
House floor.
The Senate bill would reauthorize
all 12 titles of the 2014 farm bill with
some mostly modest adjustments.
The Senate bill would reauthorize
the Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage programs
as the principal farm support programs. Notably, the bill would lower
the adjusted gross income eligibility
cap for producers to receive benefits
under federal farm and conservation programs to $700,000 from the
current $900,000. Additionally, the
bill would extend the crop insurance title of the current farm bill
with only minor revisions, according to an initial review of the bill by
the Department of Agricultural and
Consumer Economics of the University of Illinois.
The bill would raise the Conservation Reserve Program cap to
25 million acres from the current
24 million acres but reduce rental
rates for the land withdrawn from
production and enrolled in the program.
With regard to the nutrition title
contained in the draft of the Senate
farm bill, the University of Illinois's
initial analysis of the draft bill said,
"SNAP and other food assistance

wheat demand around the world."
Mr. Musick also thanked the committee for its attention to agricultural research.
"NAWG appreciates the increased
authorization and funding of the
U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative to help find solutions to this
troublesome plant disease," he said.
"These research programs are critical for wheat farmers."
Davie Stephens, a Kentucky soybean grower and vice-president of
the American Soybean Association,
said, "We're grateful to Chairman
Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow for their bipartisan effort
and for taking this important step
toward completing the farm bill this
year. Farmers need the certainty
of a new five-year bill to manage

Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, center, chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, was joined by Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, far left, and other members
of the U.S. Senate ag committee during a vote on the bipartisan Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.

farm bill in committee as an important step forward in the effort to ensure a new farm law takes effect on
the expiration of the 2014 farm act
on Sept. 30. They were supportive of
the bill's reauthorization of the Market Access Program and the Foreign
Market Development Program and
the increased funding directed at
those trade development initiatives.
Jimmie Musick, president of the
National Association of Wheat
Growers, said, "Trade and access
to new markets are vital for wheat
farmers to stay in business. NAWG
thanks the committee for reauthorizing and increasing funding for the
Market Access Program and Foreign
Market Development Program. MAP
and F.M.D. are critical to building
and expanding United States wheat
into new markets and increasing

continuing low crop prices and farm
income as well as volatile conditions
affecting our vital export markets."
Mark Knott, president of Feeding America, said, "With regard to
SNAP, the Senate measure is a stark
improvement over the House farm
bill, which would dramatically limit
the availability of the program and
reduce the benefits provided. The
Senate bill recognizes the SNAP
program is already designed to encourage individuals to find work,
and work more hours, and takes
steps to address barriers to work
that many face by strengthening
and increasing partnerships in employment and training. The bill also
makes targeted and reasonable improvements to SNAP program administration and in areas that will
further strengthen the program." MBN
Milling & Baking News

June 19, 2018 / 15

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Milling & Baking News - June 19, 2018

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