Happy New Year! Now, let’s get back to work…
We eat food every day with our families, at work, even on the road. Our food is affordable, readily available and safe to eat. This is because we have over two million family farmers working to provide our nations food, feed, fuel and fiber. Farmers are economic drivers to most communities, but they can’t do it alone. Farmers operate in a unique marketplace to which they have almost no control. Prices swing wildly year-to-year and weather-events pose a constant threat to a farmer’s yield. When a farmer is no longer able to stay afloat, the impact is felt through our entire food system.
During the Great Depression, the federal government drafted a piece of legislation to protect the food supply and the farmers who create it. The Farm Bill is passed every five years so those goals can be met in an ever-changing world. Many programs in the Farm Bill are designed to help farmers with price-swings or natural disasters. These are known as the Farm Safety Net so farmers can continue to support their communities, protect their land and provide food for our nation.
The Farm Bill isn’t only about farms. Over the years, it has evolved to support many other aspects of the food system. The Farm Bill has titles supporting Economic Development, Land Stewardship and Conservation, Energy, Research and so much more. The programs in the Farm Bill come together, to make sure all of us can enjoy safe, affordable and abundant food for generations to come. Whether you grow the food, or you eat it, you benefit for the Farm Bill.
At the end of 2018, Congress passed the latest Farm Bill costing $867 billion dollars.
Wishing you the best this winter season.
