By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee passed HR 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act—better known as the 2018 Farm Bill—out of committee on Wednesday, April 18, clearing the way for the bill to head to the full House of Representatives. The bill was approved along party lines, 26-20.

The passing of the new farm bill out of committee was met favorably from agriculture groups across the nation, including Texas Farm Bureau (TFB).

“We just want to thank Chairman Mike Conaway and the members of the Ag Committee for working on this bill and passing it,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “We think it’s timely, and it’s a good sign for agriculture that our representatives are moving forward and working diligently to get a farm bill passed this year.”

Boening noted TFB has advocated for many of the fixes in the 2018 Farm Bill, including Title I coverage for cotton farmers, better crop insurance programs and the fixes introduced to benefit dairy farmers in the Dairy Risk Management program (DRM).

“We’re looking forward to the bill going to the House, and we’re hoping for bipartisan support,” Boening said. “We know that the bill coming out of committee did not have bipartisan support, and we’re hoping our representatives can all come together for the greater good for agriculture and for all Americans. We’re thankful for the work that’s been done so far, and we’re hopeful for the future. “

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway said he hopes to bring the bill to the House floor in May.

Eighteen Republican amendments to the farm bill were offered at one time and approved en bloc by the committee, and an additional two amendments were offered separately and also adopted. No Democratic amendments were offered.

Key components of the agriculture portion of the bill address crop insurance, farm credit, trade, conservation programs, organic food regulations and rural development.

Some of the more specific issues introduce vaccine banks for ranchers, eliminate barriers to participating in both the Agriculture Risk Coverage program and Margin Protection plan, create a foreign trade advocacy program for biotech products and genetically-modified commodities, and provide new loans and grants for rural broadband expansion.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) issued a statement Wednesday afternoon hailing the bill’s passage, saying this was an important step in moving forward and safeguarding a future food supply for all Americans.

“This is great news for farmers and ranchers everywhere,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said. “The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 takes us one step closer to bringing certainty to families who face the toughest farm economy in more than a decade.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the authors of the bill had taken into account the issues presented by USDA as important to farmers and ranchers and expressed hope the bill would be taken seriously in the House.

“I commend Chairman Conaway and the House Committee on Agriculture for passing a comprehensive Farm Bill out of the Committee today,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said. “As the bill heads to the floor, I hope the House recognizes the long-term certainty it provides for America’s farmers, just as it preserves nutrition programs for people who need help feeding themselves and their families.”

Another section of the bill updated the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including an expansion of work requirements for some adults between the ages of 18 and 59.

Currently, SNAP benefits have a minimum 20-hour a week work requirement applicable only to able-bodied adults without dependents. Under the new proposal, all work-capable adults under age 60—including parents of children older than sixcap_—would have to work or participate in an approved training program at least 20 hours a week.

Democratic House Agriculture Committee members denounced the details of the SNAP proposals, saying the new proposals were unfair and racially-motivated.

Conaway said the current farm bill expires Oct. 1, and failing to enact a new bill this year would set many programs to lose funding and expire.

Republicans members of the committee remain optimistic about the bill’s chances of passing in the House.

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