Commentary: Farm Bill No ‘Boondoggle’

Professional farm policy critics love to call the farm bill a “boondoggle.” They are wrong. As we enter the final year of the current Farm Bill, we must make its importance clear to legislators.

Farmers are facing consecutive years of depressed commodity prices while receiving considerably less-than-expected support from the 2014 farm bill.

The folks at Farm Policy Facts recently wrote: “While the nation has long stood by her farmers through policies designed to assist them when prices collapse or when weather disasters strike, this safety net is always under attack by professional critics and faces further reductions. The billions of dollars in cuts made in the 2014 Farm Bill left some critical holes that have yet to be filled—for dairy and cotton farmers especially. What is more for 2017, the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program, which covers the majority of acres, will be diminished due to a decline in its trigger prices of rolling averages in the face of depressed market prices. Farm policy investment has remained low by historical standards even during these past four years of decline, and now it is diminishing further at a time when it is needed most.”

Even during times of higher commodity prices in the past, Americans still enjoyed the lowest prices for food and basic necessities of any society. That is in no small part due to our continued commitment and investment in sound farm policy. Given the current state of the farm economy, hopefully our appreciation will grow for the steady work and sacrifices made by our farmers as well as a keener appreciation for the importance of a viable farm safety net that ensures the stability of American agriculture.

This is crucial to remember as the agricultural community gears up for a rewrite of the current farm law, which is set to expire in 2018. A farm leader at the Southwest Ag Issues Summit said it best: “We do not need to apologize for needing and wanting a good farm bill.”