Key facts
- Committee action
- Senate Agriculture Committee markup scheduled Thursday
- Last farm bill
- 2018 (extended since)
- Nebraska senator
- Deb Fischer, committee member, supports E15 year-round sale
- Farm strain
- High input costs, low commodity prices, $150 per acre losses cited
- SNAP concern
- Nebraska Appleseed says bill should undo cuts from H.R. 1
Background
The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled Thursday to mark up its version of a new five-year farm bill, a process in which senators review the legislation line by line, debate amendments and revise policy before possibly advancing it to the full Senate. Congress has not passed a new five-year farm bill since 2018, instead extending the previous law while legislators remained divided over agriculture and nutrition policy.
The farm bill governs a wide range of federal agriculture programs, including commodity assistance, crop insurance, conservation initiatives and rural development. It also authorizes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), making it one of the largest and most consequential pieces of legislation Congress considers.
Current situation
Agricultural groups in Nebraska say passing a new bill would inject clarity into markets for farmers as they face high input costs and low commodity prices. John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said, “This is going to be a very difficult fall for an awful lot of ag producers.”
Jordan Dux, director of government affairs for the Nebraska Farm Bureau, said producers rely on the stability a long-term bill provides. “A five-year bill provides a little bit of certainty when it comes to programs that farmers and ranchers rely upon,” Dux said.
Biofuels are expected to be a major focus during this year’s debate. Dux said expanding markets for ethanol, including higher-blend fuels such as E15, would strengthen the market for Nebraska corn. Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement Tuesday, “I’m proud to have helped secure the year-round sale of E15 in this bill, and we have bipartisan support to get it done.”
Impacts
Farm advocates say the legislation comes at a critical time for row-crop producers facing continued economic strain. Hansen said, “If you’re losing $150 an acre, you’re having to refinance, you’re struggling to pay your bills.”
Nutrition advocates are also closely watching the legislation. Nebraska Appleseed is not satisfied with current language concerning SNAP. Eric Saviano, the group's program manager for food and nutrition assistance, says the next Farm Bill should help undo cuts and cost shifts from the One Big Beautiful Bill. “Without a doubt, people are hungrier because the farm bill has not come through and H.R. 1 is still passed,” Saviano said.
Hansen said Republican leaders should grapple with SNAP benefits to make it more bipartisan, rather than relying on a strict party-line vote.
Future outlook
Scenario analysis: The possibilities below are not certain predictions.
The House has already approved its version of a farm bill. Before any legislation can reach the president’s desk, the House and Senate must reconcile differences between their bills and pass identical versions.
If the Senate committee advances its version on Thursday, the bill could move to the full Senate for consideration. However, if disagreements over SNAP or other provisions persist, the process could stall, as it has since 2018.
Should the two chambers fail to reach a compromise, Congress may again resort to an extension of the existing law, leaving farmers and nutrition programs without the long-term certainty they seek.
Source: ketv.com
