The2012 Farm Billprocess is back in the news with Senate hearing now take in place . The Food , Conservation and Energy Act ( aka Farm Bill ) is the patch of statute law that dictates the subsidies and insurance for large - scale and commodity agriculture and also contains programs for local food , preservation , constituent enquiry and other program important to small - scale , sustainable farmers . With the current Farm Bill , which was enact in 2008 , expire on Sept. 30 , 2012 , a glance at the legislating ’s timeline shows it ’s slightly — but not terribly — behind schedule .
Think back to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction — the “ supercommittee”—from fall 2011 . This commission ’s work was to include the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture , Nutrition and Forestry ’s Farm Bill .
“ When that commission fail , that proposal failed , as well , ” explain Traci Bruckner , assistant director of rural policy programme for the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons , Neb.
The House and Senate have seven months to put together an agreeable Farm Bill , but Bruckner explain , “ It just takes a while to fare to agreement on some thing . … It can be a frustrating cognitive process . ”
In an idealistic year , this Farm Bill cognitive operation would be right on docket .
“ The whole supercommittee process prevented masses from having more hearings , ” explains Dennis Nuxoll , managing director of federal policy for the American Farmland Trust . He articulate public - discover transparency was curtly - circuited , leading the supercommittee ’s efforts last year to be dubbed “ the secret Farm Bill ” and give less time for public hearings this year .
What Happens NowThe Senate is holding its Farm Bill sense of hearing in February and March 2012 . The first was on Feb. 15 , 2012 , focusing on zip and rural economic development . Future hearing are :
( Watch video of and understand more about the hearings at the Senate Committee on Agriculture , Nutrition and Forestrywebsite . )
At this point , the Farm Bill is debated and voted on in the Senate and the House before being sign up into law — in theory by Sept. 30 , 2012 , which is particularly challenging because this is a presidential election yr .
“ The interrogation is whether or not we get to it this year , ” read Bruckner , who points out that this is not the first metre this question has been raised , as the 2008 Farm Bill was actually supposed to be passed in 2007 . “ One of the concerns is whether or not they just do an extension of the current Farm Bill . There are quite a few program that do n’t have baseline funding . ”
This means they do n’t have a standing budget line in the Farm Bill and want to be yield appropriations with the passing game of the next Farm Bill .
American Farmland Trust , the Center for Rural Affairs and more than 60 other organisation station a alphabetic character to the House and Senate agriculture committee leadership this month expect for a well timed passageway of the Farm Bill . The letter states :
“ We the undersigned have heard call for an extension of current law . We ask you to reject these calls for holdup and sharply act to see to it that a raw , comprehensive farm bill is pass away this year . … A temporary extension of current policy create tremendous incertitude while serve to further none of [ the nation ’s husbandry , nutrition , rural economical development and agricultural research ] needs . ”
Nuxoll explains , “ There is a general fear that if we wait until 2013 , the budget circumstances will be even worse than they are today . ” New and still - developing programs contained in the Farm Bill , such as conservation efforts and local - food program , could be the first to have funding reduced . “ It ’s better to examine this year with a tight budget but a realizable budget versus next yr , when the situation could be even more dire . ”
If a Farm Bill does not pass off before the end of September , an annexe of the current legislation will have to be top .
“ That extension is just as hard to guide as the full Farm Bill , so why not pass the full Farm Bill ? ” Nuxoll asks .
Get Involved“I intend it ’s important for [ small - plate , sustainablefarmers ] to engage in the debate , ” Bruckner says . “ It ’s important for the great unwashed to remain attuned to the process . ”
To join the debate , get through your legislators . That might sound intimidating , but you may make it as simple or as involved as you ’d like . plunk up the telephone , send an email , send a letter or schedule a visit . Let your congresswoman , senator , and the phallus of the House and Senate agribusiness committees know what elements of the Farm Bill are important to you and why .
“ It ’s really decisive for small- and mid - scale family farmers to weigh in on those subject , ” Bruckner order .
The American Farmland Trust’smicrositefeatures a summation of issues cover in the Farm Bill , news of the Farm Bill ’s progress and articles about how the legislation touch on sodbuster of all sizes .
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