WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — The Congressional Budget Office has released new cost estimates for the Senate farm bill as lawmakers prepare to revisit agricultural legislation after the midterm elections.
The bill carries an estimated $8 billion price tag over five years, with the CBO projecting it would add more than $4 billion to the federal deficit over a decade as spending declines in later years.
The legislation would also reauthorize programs supporting crop insurance, research and trade promotion, with additional spending subject to future congressional approval.
Agricultural labor is another concern heading into the next legislative session.
Chanel Tewalt with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture says technological advances have not eliminated the need for workers on farms.
“People assume that because farmers have tractors, that there isn’t as much labor needed on farm as there used to be. Certainly there have been labor innovations that have helped tremendously, but you still need folks to move water every day. Irrigation has to be moved and crops need to be watered or things don’t grow in the desert. I think folks forget that just happens magically. You need people to do that. You need people picking fruit. You need people milking cows. Certainly tractors help with harvest and with planting and things like that. There are so many aspects of running a farm where you need bodies helping you. I’m shocked at how much social media is out there, assuming that people aren’t needed anymore.”
Agricultural groups are also urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, which would expand H-2A access to year-round livestock and dairy operations while changing wage rules and streamlining applications.
