Farm Bill keeps subsidies, makes cuts to Food Stamps
CHENANGO COUNTY – Following two years of uncertainty and deliberation among U.S. lawmakers, the United States Congress passed a five-year Farm Bill on Wednesday, giving area farmers a reason to be optimistic as the bill heads to the Senate floor.
The Farm Bill proposes $1 trillion in spending on farm subsidies and nutrition programs. It reinstates a safety net for dairy farmers as well as many fruit and vegetable growers who are subject to whether conditions such as drought or flooding that have an impact on their growing operations.
The new bill also includes a voluntary dairy margin insurance protection program to replace the previous Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program and excludes government milk supply controls, likely to benefit small dairy farms with fewer than 200 cows by making higher levels of protection more affordable.
Having a new safety net in place for dairy farmers also protects consumers from higher milk prices at the grocery store. Without those subsidies, the federal government, by law, would revert to an outdated agriculture policy created to provide dairy farmers a price floor which would drive milk prices as high as $8 per gallon.
Other highlights of the bill include specialty crop block grants for producers of specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, nuts and nursery crops. And it extends programs to assist start-up farmers through discounted crop insurance and credit opportunities to start their business and create jobs.
For consumers, the bill’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program will help provide fresh, local produce to low-income students, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will provide seniors with access to New York farm products, and the Farmers Market Promotion Program will help develop new food hubs, distribution and transportation in the community.
Congressional action on the Farm Bill was welcome news for farm support groups such as the New York Farm Bureau, which lobbied for a new bill since the previous one expired in 2012.
“There are some things in the bill that are disappointing; but at this point in the game, it’s good to see something passed,” said Bradd Vickers, President of the Chenango County Farm Bureau. “It’s something that’s really needed and it effects everyone, even if they don’t realize it.”
Vickers noted pieces of the bill that directly effect Chenango County conservation groups like the Soil and Water Conservation District and other programs that help farmers protect local landscapes. Moreover, the bill benefits communities by supporting broadband deployment and water infrastructure development.
Additionally, while some cuts to the bill are anticipated over the next 10 years, Vickers explained the Farm Bill expires every five years, leaving those cuts to be further negotiated in the future.
One of the sticking points of the Farm Bill has been its inclusion of benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly referred to as Food Stamps. The bill cuts funding for Food Stamps by one percent (or $800 million per year) – less than the five percent cut outlined by the U.S. House of Representative in its original Farm Bill proposal last year.
According to Janice Burt-Ashton, an administrator at the Chenango County Department of Social Services, cuts to the Food Stamp program is likely to have a huge impact on area food pantries and soup kitchens. Less money to the federally funded program means less money for SNAP recipients, she added, which translates to growing demand for local food pantries that are already overwhelmed with increasing numbers.
At the same time, the Department of Social Services says it is relieved that cuts to SNAP were not as much as originally proposed. More than 15 percent of Chenango County residents (7,500 people) receive SNAP benefits and nearly 30 percent are eligible, she said.
Said Vickers of the Farm Bill, “We’re glad it passed but it’s always disappointing that we are willing to give billions of dollars to foreign countries and how little we’re willing to give to Americans.”
The Farm Bill will head to the Senate where it is expected to pass soon.
The Farm Bill proposes $1 trillion in spending on farm subsidies and nutrition programs. It reinstates a safety net for dairy farmers as well as many fruit and vegetable growers who are subject to whether conditions such as drought or flooding that have an impact on their growing operations.
The new bill also includes a voluntary dairy margin insurance protection program to replace the previous Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program and excludes government milk supply controls, likely to benefit small dairy farms with fewer than 200 cows by making higher levels of protection more affordable.
Having a new safety net in place for dairy farmers also protects consumers from higher milk prices at the grocery store. Without those subsidies, the federal government, by law, would revert to an outdated agriculture policy created to provide dairy farmers a price floor which would drive milk prices as high as $8 per gallon.
Other highlights of the bill include specialty crop block grants for producers of specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, nuts and nursery crops. And it extends programs to assist start-up farmers through discounted crop insurance and credit opportunities to start their business and create jobs.
For consumers, the bill’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program will help provide fresh, local produce to low-income students, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will provide seniors with access to New York farm products, and the Farmers Market Promotion Program will help develop new food hubs, distribution and transportation in the community.
Congressional action on the Farm Bill was welcome news for farm support groups such as the New York Farm Bureau, which lobbied for a new bill since the previous one expired in 2012.
“There are some things in the bill that are disappointing; but at this point in the game, it’s good to see something passed,” said Bradd Vickers, President of the Chenango County Farm Bureau. “It’s something that’s really needed and it effects everyone, even if they don’t realize it.”
Vickers noted pieces of the bill that directly effect Chenango County conservation groups like the Soil and Water Conservation District and other programs that help farmers protect local landscapes. Moreover, the bill benefits communities by supporting broadband deployment and water infrastructure development.
Additionally, while some cuts to the bill are anticipated over the next 10 years, Vickers explained the Farm Bill expires every five years, leaving those cuts to be further negotiated in the future.
One of the sticking points of the Farm Bill has been its inclusion of benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly referred to as Food Stamps. The bill cuts funding for Food Stamps by one percent (or $800 million per year) – less than the five percent cut outlined by the U.S. House of Representative in its original Farm Bill proposal last year.
According to Janice Burt-Ashton, an administrator at the Chenango County Department of Social Services, cuts to the Food Stamp program is likely to have a huge impact on area food pantries and soup kitchens. Less money to the federally funded program means less money for SNAP recipients, she added, which translates to growing demand for local food pantries that are already overwhelmed with increasing numbers.
At the same time, the Department of Social Services says it is relieved that cuts to SNAP were not as much as originally proposed. More than 15 percent of Chenango County residents (7,500 people) receive SNAP benefits and nearly 30 percent are eligible, she said.
Said Vickers of the Farm Bill, “We’re glad it passed but it’s always disappointing that we are willing to give billions of dollars to foreign countries and how little we’re willing to give to Americans.”
The Farm Bill will head to the Senate where it is expected to pass soon.
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