Congress should give farm-state lawmakers additional funding for writing the new farm bill, said the National Farmers Union, the second-largest U.S. farm group, following its annual meeting. In a “special order” adopted at its convention in San Francisco, the NFU said the 2023 farm bill should address climate change through such steps as crop insurance discounts for farmers who plant cover crops or employ other practices that increase resiliency or decrease risk.
The group also called for a permanent disaster assistance program “that supplements crop insurance indemnities when widespread disasters occur.” The government has spent tens of billions of dollars since 2019 in one-time trade war, pandemic, and agricultural disaster assistance. In the special order, the NFU advocated higher loan rates and other price-support triggers and an expansion of the crop insurance program to cover more producers; strengthening the dairy safety net; “maintaining a strong nutrition title”; and the reinstatement of mandatory country-of-origin meat labels.
“Farm bills should be written with tough times in mind so that programs serve as a safety net,” said the farm group. “Furthermore, farm bills work best when they are forward-looking; lawmakers should ensure the next farm bill anticipates future needs.”
To read the special order on family farming and the farm bill, click here.