U.S. House Committee advances Farm Bill proposal; ag groups comment on momentum

On May 24, 2024, the House Committee on Agriculture passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (H.R. 8472) on a bipartisan vote of 33-21. In response, ag groups issued the statements.

ARA Applauds House Ag Committee Vote on Farm Bill

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President & CEO Daren Coppock released the following statement applauding the bipartisan efforts by the House Agriculture Committee to move the Farm Bill forward:

"ARA applauds members of the House Committee on Agriculture for passing a new five-year Farm Bill out of committee, which included several of ARA's policy priorities. This is a critical step forward to providing much needed economic certainty for America's agricultural industry.

"We are confident that Congress will find a bipartisan agreement that ensures farmers and ranchers are supported in their efforts to meet our nation's food, fiber, and fuel needs for our growing population.

"ARA urges the House and Senate to vote to pass the five-year Farm Bill this year."

Learn more about ARA's Farm Bill policy positions established by its membership.

ASTA Commends Farm Bill Momentum

American Seed Trade Association president and CEO, Andy LaVigne, issued the following statement after the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture considered and passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act in a bipartisan vote.

″ASTA commends Chairman Thompson for his leadership in moving forward the farm bill. Seed producers need certainty to estimate future demand, and the farmers and producers we support need a reliable safety net to ensure they can continue to plant, grow, and harvest the food that feeds a growing global population in an ever-changing climate,″ said LaVigne. ″We are particularly encouraged to see several ASTA priorities are part of this legislation, including strengthened conservation programs, increased funding for agricultural research and export programs, and much needed clarification for plant breeders through updates to the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology.″

″This mark-up is a positive step towards an updated farm bill that feeds American families, supports our farmers and producers, and puts American agriculture in the spotlight of a global marketplace. We encourage members of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to continue to work together to find common ground on a bipartisan bill that will continue to strengthen the seed industry and all of U.S. agriculture.″

The American Seed Trade Association has been working with congressional leaders and their staffs throughout the 2024 farm bill process to include numerous ASTA priorities, in addition to those listed above. A summary of these priorities can be found at this link.

NCGA Reflects on Farm Bill Markup

The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 has passed the House Committee on Agriculture by a vote of 33-21.

The National Corn Growers Association said many of the recommendations made by corn grower leaders are reflected in the legislation and language in the bill would improve programs for corn growers across the country.

″We are deeply appreciative of the members on the committee and their staff for their work on this legislation,″ said NCGA President Harold Wolle. ″Advancing the farm bill through committee is an important milestone in the legislative process.″

During the markup, corn growers supported several amendments that were filed by committee members to improve the farm bill. Wolle said growers were appreciative of Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) for offering an amendment on sustainable aviation fuel that was adopted by the committee. He also thanked Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) for leading and offering an amendment requiring a mandatory base acre update that would better reflect corn growers priorities for commodity program eligibility.

Wolle said corn growers stand ready to provide additional feedback to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and all members of Congress as the legislative process moves forward.

″For the farm bill to be successfully reauthorized this year, there will ultimately need to be broad support from members of both parties,″ Wolle noted.

NCGA sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee members earlier reflecting on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act provisions important to corn growers.

NCGA’s farm bill priorities include protecting federal crop insurance, bolstering U.S. international market development efforts, strengthening the producer safety net, supporting voluntary conservation programs, championing initiatives important to rural America and providing a base acre update.

NAWG Responds to Farm Bill Progress

The House Committee on Agriculture passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 (H.R. 8472) on a bipartisan vote of 33-21. In response, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Keeff Felty made the following statement:

″NAWG commends Chairman Thompson for moving the process forward and urges a bipartisan and bicameral process to enact a highly effective Farm Bill. Ultimately, for a Farm Bill to get signed into law, it will have to pass both chambers and be bipartisan. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to help get a farm bill signed into law that provides certainty and a strong safety net for producers.″

″The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 recognizes the needs of wheat growers and includes several priorities that NAWG has advocated for over the past two years. We appreciate that the committee passed bill protects and enhances crop insurance, provides a meaningful increase in the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, prioritizes U.S. commodities in the Food for Peace Program, and doubles funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. Additionally, we would like to thank Congressman Mann (R-KS-1) for offering an amendment encouraging the Risk Management Agency to allow farmers to insure wheat enterprise units by fallow and continuous, which was adopted.″

Background on NAWG’s Involvement in the Farm Bill Process:

Since NAWG released its farm bill priorities on June 30, 2022, NAWG has continued to underscore the need to get a Farm Bill done which works for wheat growers and rural America. These priorities, as outlined by the NAWG board of directors, include:

• Protecting crop insurance that serves as the cornerstone of the farm safety net.

• Working to strengthen and enhance Title I and crop insurance to protect farmers better.

• Supporting financial and technical assistance through voluntary conservation cost-share programs for producers in all climates and wheat-producing regions.

• Encouraging additional investment in agricultural trade promotions and US commodities as part of the Farm Bill’s trade title.

• Supporting wheat research programs authorized under the Farm Bill and robust funding as part of the annual appropriations process.

In July 2022, NAWG sent a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders outlining its Farm Bill policy priorities. Following Commodity Classic in 2023, NAWG further refined its core priorities and shared those with the committee leadership.

NAWG officers also testified before members of Congress on five separate occasions, including the full House Agriculture Committee in March 2022, House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture’s hearing in April 2022, House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry’s hearing in September 2022, House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit’s hearing in April 2023, and the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade’s hearing in May 2023. These testimonies laid out NAWG’s policies to enhance the farm safety net, strengthen conservation programs, and increase access to international trade and food aid opportunities for wheat growers.