About the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill governs Federal farm, food, and conservation policy and is renewed every five years. On May 22, 2008 Congress enacted the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the 2007 Farm Bill, into law. The new Farm Bill includes fifteen titles: commodity programs, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, forestry, energy, horticulture and organic agriculture, livestock, crop insurance and disaster assistance, commodity futures, miscellaneous provisions, and trade and tax provisions.
Farm Bill Timeline
| January 31, 2007 | USDA Secretary submits 2007 Farm Bill proposals |
| July 27, 2007 | U.S. House of Representatives passes House version of the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) |
| December 14, 2007 | U.S. Senate passes Senate version |
| May 14-15, 2008 | Farm Bill Conference Report (PDF, 1.4 MB) (H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) passes House and Senate |
| May 20, 2008 | Congress sends H.R. 2419 to President Bush |
| May 21, 2008 | President Bush vetoes H.R. 2419 Read Presidential Farm Bill Veto Message... |
| May 22, 2008 | House and Senate pass H.R. 2419 over veto, enacting 14 of 15 Farm Bill titles into law (P.L. 110-234). House passes H.R. 6124, a new bill containing 15 Farm Bill titles |
| June 18, 2008 | House and Senate pass H.R. 6124, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, enacting the complete Farm Bill into law. |
Helpful Links
PDF, 75 KB)Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/ecosystemservices/Farm_Bill/about.shtml
Updated: December 16, 2008 1:36 PM