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Press Room

Press Releases

May 8, 2008

What the Farm Bill Means to Every American

• Nutrition programs account for more than 2/3 of total Farm Bill spending.
• Our farm programs have produced the safest, most abundant, and affordable food supply in the world; as a result, Americans pay a smaller portion of their incomes for food than consumers anywhere else in the world.
• The bill Congress has written calls for more than a $10 billion increase to the nutrition title, which is responsible for the Food Stamp Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. It also encourages expanded consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables for America’s children.
  • The Administration proposed only a $500 million increase - nearly $10 billion less than Congress proposes – for nutrition programs.

·         Congress’ bill helps more than 27 million Food Stamp Program participants across the country manage rising food costs.

·         The bill reverses the decade-long erosion in Food Stamp Program benefits and increases the minimum monthly Food Stamp benefit for the first time in 30 years.

·         The bill provides about $1 billion for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program and expands it to all states

·         The bill also provides about $1.25 billion for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

This Farm Bill Provides for Americans in an Economically Responsible Way

·         Congress’ Farm Bill allows Americans to continue to enjoy the largest, safest, cheapest and most diverse food supply in the world.

• The $10 billion in net new spending included in Congress’ bill is entirely paid for by extending customs user fees.
• This bill does not add one nickel to the nation’s debt and accomplishes that without raising taxes.
• The $3.8 billion disaster provision in the bill benefits the American taxpayer on two fronts:
  • This disaster provision allows family farmers to economically survive unforeseen weather disruptions
  • It is budgeted for, making it more economically responsible and less financially burdensome to the taxpayer than previous ad-hoc disaster provisions.
  • Unlike previous ad-hoc disaster programs, this new standing disaster provision will aid only those producers who experience whole farm losses.

·         Currently the United States is spending more than $1 billion a day importing oil from some of the world’s most unstable regions.

·         Provisions in Congress’ Farm Bill will move America toward energy independence, allowing the nation to look to the Mid West rather than the Middle East for our energy needs.

• More than $1.5 billion is included in the bill to develop means to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign energy.

Key to developing our nation’s energy independence is a $400 million investment in tax credits for development of cellulosic ethanol, allowing us to get our energy from the farm fields of the Midwest rather than the oil fields of the Middle East.

This Farm Bill Includes Needed Reform to America’s Agriculture Policy

• Limiting Farm Program Payments

Congress’ bill contains numerous provisions to stop the wealthiest among us from inappropriately receiving farm program benefits. These include:

• Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Limitation –The income cap for farm program payments for farmers and non-farmers will be dramatically reduced from their current level of $2.5 million. The new Farm Bill includes hard caps on adjusted gross income of $750,000 on farmer income and $500,000 on non-farmer income. And a separate AGI limit will apply to conservation payments – another first designed to stop abuse of these programs by wealthy urbanites.

• Closing Payment Limit Loopholes – For the first time ever, farm program payments have to be attributed to an actual, living breathing individual. This will prevent slick operators from hiding behind numerous entities to access program payments. Further, the bill eliminates the so-called “three-entity rule” that, in combination with creative legal structures, allowed easy manipulation of existing limitations.

• Schedule F Reform – The bill saves hundreds of millions of dollars by placing a limit on using farming losses to offset non-farm income. This tax reform measure complements the payment limits and will stop the practice of creating paper farming losses to shelter non-farm income.

• Farm Program Reforms

The bill significantly reforms farm programs. Even after accounting for the new, more fiscally responsible disaster program, the Farm Bill cuts producer safety net programs by $3.5 billion to free up more resources for feeding the hungry, protecting our natural resources, and growing our own fuel sources. 

·         Conservation programs in this Farm Bill account for 9% of total spending.

·         To ensure the protection and enhancement of our natural resources, Congress’ bill invests $4 billion in conservation programs.

These programs include aid to farmers and ranchers as they confront natural resource challenges on their land, including soil erosion, wetlands, wildlife habitat and farmland protection.