Farm bill deliberations may stretch into 2024
Congress could be even later than expected in completing the new farm bill, said two farm policy experts during a webinar on Tuesday, four days before the current law expires. House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders are now aiming for passage of the 2023 farm bill by the end of December, but closed-door negotiations have moved slowly.
Lawmaker proposes income and subsidy limits for crop insurance
The government would save money and better target the crop insurance system toward small and mid-sized farmers by denying subsidized policies to the wealthiest growers and by limiting the value of premium subsidies to eligible farmers, said Rep. Earl Blumenauer on Tuesday. The restrictions would reduce the cost of crop insurance by an estimated $2.7 billion a year, a quarter of its projected cost over the next 10 years.
Senate stopgap bill keeps WIC at full strength
Leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee unveiled a short-term government funding bill on Tuesday that would allow the USDA to provide full benefits to the 6.7 million participants of the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program. A test vote showed strong Senate support for the bipartisan bill.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
USDA expands community eligibility: An additional 3,000 school districts will be able to serve school breakfast and lunch for free to all students, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, under a new regulation that makes it easier for high-poverty areas to qualify. (USDA)
Is hydropower green?: Arguments to tear down dams in the West in the name of rebuilding populations of salmon and other fish are being met with questions about the environmental impact of solar farms and wind turbines that might replace them. (Los Angeles Times)
Child workers at meat plants: The Labor Department opened investigations of Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms following a published report that migrant minors worked for sanitation companies who held contracts with the meat processors. (Meat and Poultry)
‘No SNAP photo’ bill: Legislation filed by Texas Rep. Greg Casar, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, would revoke a federal provision allowing states to put photos on SNAP benefit cards on the grounds that photos are counterproductive. (Casar)
