Farm Bill - Page 2 of 4 - Taxpayers for Common Sense

The Farm Bill is a massive $1 trillion+ piece of legislation that guides federal food and farm policy. Originating in the 1930s as a response to the Great Depression, omnibus farm bills are typically adopted every five to six years and is the primary tool Washington uses to set policy and provide funding for farm subsidy programs, agricultural conservation, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food assistance program in both cost and reach. It also impacts other policy areas including rural development, agricultural trade, research, rural broadband, and forestry.

The Farm Bill is also a prime example of Washington’s dysfunction. Farm Bill programs, once implemented, routinely cost significantly more than their original projections. While agriculture has changed much since the 1930s, a majority of farm bill funding is still directed to traditional commodity crops, such as corn, cotton, and wheat. Increased partisanship and an unwillingness to rein in costs on both the farm and nutrition sides of the bill also have resulted recent farm bills expiring, necessitating costly and disruptive one-year extensions.

A more cost-effective, transparent, and accountable farm bill that is responsive to need and promotes resilience, instead of dependence on federal subsidies, can be created, but reform is necessary.