How the Farm Bill Works | by Shannon Peterson

We've shied away from talking about the new Farm Bill. Complex and politically charged, it’s a subject destined to alienate readers. Yet, it will have a powerful impact on growers across the country and ignoring it seems irresponsible. So, I’ve been struggling with how to broach the issue and provide some useful information or insight on the bill.

Then I read a notice in the Daily Agri-News Report by Don Molino, from the Louisiana Farm Bureau Agri-News Radio Network, which led me to the information from the American Farm Bureau Federation that I am sharing here today.

I hope you find some value in these resources. And, if you have discovered other information that breaks down the Farm Bill, please share it in the comment section below!

"The American Farm Bureau Federation has produced a new series of videos and launched a website to help farmers, landowners, and other stakeholders better understand the provisions of the 2014 farm bill. Featured content includes videos on key commodity program and crop insurance provisions of the farm bill.

“We have distilled down a massive and complex piece of legislation – the 2014 farm bill – into several ‘bite-size’ pieces, with the goal of helping farmers and managers understand how it will affect their farms,” said John Anderson, deputy chief economist with AFBF.

“Now that safety net and risk management tools important in crop planning are in place, along with the new program for dairies, the next step is for farmers to be able to move forward with confidence in determining the best options for their individual farms,” Anderson said. “We created the farm bill video series with that goal in mind.”

The videos include a farm bill overview describing the basic provisions of the commodity title, including a description of the decisions related to program participation that will need to be made by farmers and landowners. Four other videos go in-depth on the Price Loss Coverage and Supplemental Coverage Option, the Agricultural Risk Coverage Program, the Stacked Income Protection Program for Cotton and the Dairy Margin Protection Program.

Links to useful farm bill information from USDA, land-grant universities, and other organizations also is available on the website."

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Shannon Peterson Marketing Content Editor Shannon joined Valley Irrigation in 2013. She enjoys traveling with her family, particularly to national parks, and she occasionally writes about her travels for tourism magazines. Shannon also likes reading, trying new restaurants, seeing movies, and watching Husker football and Creighton basketball. However, she and her husband spend most of their free time chauffeuring their teenage son to activities and chasing their baby daughter.