The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed its version of the farm bill, with a bipartisan 86-11 vote. The Senate bill does not include changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that were included in the House bill, which passed last week without support from Democrats.
The House and Senate will now need to reconcile their two bills before a final bill can be sent to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.
While the Senate’s bill does not include SNAP changes, it extends the job training pilot programs created by the current farm bill and establishes a new pilot program related to income verification. The two bills also differ on farm subsidy caps and conservation initiatives. The differences set the stage for much debate between the two chambers.
Agriculture Committee members Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) have stressed how important it is to pass a farm bill before the current one expires on September 30.
“I don’t know how I can emphasize this more strongly, but I hope my colleagues will understand that the responsibility, the absolute requirement, is to provide farmers, ranchers, growers — everyone within America’s food chain — certainty and predictability during these very difficult times that we’re experiencing,” Roberts said.
“There is a sense of urgency in the country,” Stabenow said. “There are so many things right now that are up in the air for farmers and ranchers. It’s a very, very difficult time. And this bill really is a bill that provides a safety net for farmers and a safety net for families.”
Response from agriculture groups
The Senate’s farm bill has received support from many agriculture groups.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said the measure provides a “solid framework for progress.”
“The Senate pushed the farm bill one big step closer to the finish line today and it could not have come at a better time,” AFBF said in a statement. “America’s farmers and ranchers continue to face a challenging agricultural economy, a shaky outlook for our export markets and a dire ag labor shortage. It was time for some good news and the Senate delivered it in bipartisan fashion. … Of course, no bill is ever perfect, but this bipartisan effort gives us a solid framework for progress. We do have concerns about some of the provisions that were added to the bill that make it harder for farmers to manage risk, but we are confident that those issues can be satisfactorily addressed by the House/Senate conference committee. We look forward to working with conferees from both houses to get the best possible farm bill done for rural America.”
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) said the passage is “a welcome step to providing much-needed certainty for farmers facing increasingly challenging times.
“NCGA would like to thank Senate Republicans and Democrats for working together to get this bi-partisan bill passed and recognizing the importance and effectiveness of the farm bill’s risk management tools, including a robust federal crop insurance program.”
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) also stressed the need for a new farm bill to be in place before September 30 “so that farmers can have certainty that a safety net and strong risk management tools will continue to be in place during these uncertain economic times in farm country.”
And, while the National Farmers Union (NFU) did not support the House’s version of the farm bill, it voiced support for the Senate’s version.
“We are appreciative of the Senate’s work on this bill and are pleased by its passage,” NFU said in a statement. “At a time of great financial stress, family farmers and ranchers are in need of some economic certainty. The Senate’s version of the farm bill includes encouraging provisions that strengthen the farm safety net, promote farm sustainability, and ensure access to fair and diverse markets, all of which would provide essential security.”
