Farm Bill

The U.S. farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government.  The multi-year, comprehensive omnibus bill contains federal commodity and farm support policies, as well as other farm-related provisions.  It usually amends some and suspends provisions of permanent law, reauthorizes, amends, or repeals provisions of preceding temporary agricultural acts, and puts forth new policy provisions for a limited time into the future. Nine bills between 1965 and 2002 are generally agreed to be farm bills; the 2008 farm bill, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, is the tenth. 

Press Releases:

• The Ag Minute: Next Farm Bill Should Prioritize Programs Most Effective for Farmers

  May 4, 2010

• The Ag Minute: The Farm Bill is Our Commitment to the Future of Rural America

  April 20, 2010

H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008

H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the 2008 U.S. farm bill, is a $288 billion, five-year agricultural policy bill that is a continuation of the 2002 farm bill.  It was passed into law by both chambers of Congress on June 18, 2008. 

Farm Bill Legal Language

• Complete Language of 2008 Farm Bill

• Complete Language of Conference Reports

Title-by-Title Fact Sheets

• Title I – Commodity Programs

• Title II – Conservation

• Title III – Trade

• Title IV – Nutrition

• Title V – Credit

• Title VI – Rural Development

• Title VII – Research

• Title VIII – Forestry

• Title IX – Energy

• Title X – Horticulture and Organic Agriculture

• Title XI – Livestock

• Title XII – Crop Insurance

• Title XIII – Commodity Futures

• Title XIV – Miscellaneous

 

---