National Farmers Union President Rob Larew says that it is clear the 2023 Farm Bill will not be ready before the September 30 deadline, and it could be a while before it is in place due to it being a presidential year next year. He stresses that the next farm bill needs to be the right legislation for US farmers and ranchers.
“Just getting any bill done that doesn’t kind of make improvements to the safety net, doesn’t make improvements on the most recent farm bill, I think will be a missed opportunity. So, it’s not just about getting a farm bill done yet this year, but getting a good and a correct farm bill done.”
Although it is hard to know what the next five years will bring, Larew says it’s important the next farm bill has resiliency measures in it such as a strong crop insurance program.
“I think there’s room to improve it by making some of the policies more available to more types of farmers out there. I think that looking at the commodity programs, I think there’s ways to strengthen the safety net on those.”
The National Farmers Union is also advocating for a dedicated competition title in the next farm bill that would include things like cattle market price discovery and transparency along with increasing enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act. They are also advocating for a permanent disaster program that would help to eliminate delays in implementation and unfair targeting support while incentivizing the use of sustainable climate smart farming practices.