According to Texas A&M University ag policy expert, Dr. Joe Outlaw, there is a high likelihood lawmakers will not produce new Farm Bill legislation until well into next year, in 2025. Dr. Outlaw says, lawmakers still have months of work ahead to write, pass, and enact a Farm Bill.
Outlaw, an Agricultural Economics professor & Co-Director of the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) advises both parties on the House and Senate Ag Committees. The shortest legislative process Outlaw has witnessed took nine months. Now, two months into this year, Washington is already consumed with political dysfunction and the presidential election.
Crafting this all-encompassing and expensive piece of ag legislation has already been a contentious and lengthy process. Lawmakers missed their original deadline back in September 2023, mired in debate over funding concerns, and then tabled the bill to focus on other measures needed to fund the government before the holidays. He predicts the looming presidential election in November will serve as the newest distraction for lawmakers, and extend the timeline of the Farm Bill even further.
Stakeholders across the industry are urging Congress to pass a new Farm Bill, including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Ryan Yates, managing director of government affairs for the AFBF, says that it is difficult, especially with crop insurance.
Sparks are still flying across party lines in terms of funding. Many Republicans still want to see SNAP cuts on the table while Democrats are standing their ground when it comes to essential entitlements as well as thoughts of culling climate funding for farm programs.
