2018 farm bill off to a rocky, but not unprecedented start

It is expected the U.S. House of Representatives will soon approve its version of the 2018 farm bill, cuing up Senate Committee consideration the last week before the Memorial Day recess and full U.S. Senate action in June.

Of course, the best laid plans can (and do) go awry.

The House is moving a farm bill that largely reflects current law, with some improvements to Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), an increase in CRP acreage, restored funding of trade promotion programs, including FMD, increased individual FSA loan limits, a significant investment in animal disease preparedness and response, and fully protecting crop insurance—all bipartisan goals that were championed by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) early on.

The House also includes a 20-hour-per-week work or training requirement under Food Stamps that Democrats oppose, meaning Republicans will have to go it alone in approving the farm bill in that chamber—which is always a tough proposition.

However, there is precedent for a farm bill with largely partisan support to pass. In both 2008 and 2013, the farm bill passed the House with the strength of only one party. In fact, three of the last four farm bills have been passed by the House largely along party lines.

The key each time has been that members of the minority party have joined forces with the majority party in defeating amendments designed to harm farmers and ranchers. And this time there will certainly be no shortage of poison pill amendments on the House floor, including amendments attacking PLC/ARC, sugar and crop insurance.

Also, those three farm bills that got off to rocky starts ultimately all gained bipartisan traction in the House-Senate conference committee, ensuring a bipartisan sprint across the finish line.  In 2008, bipartisan supermajorities actually passed the farm bill and overrode a presidential veto—not once but twice.

In the Senate, bipartisanship is a foregone conclusion.

With a 60-vote hurdle, the Senate Agriculture Committee will need to approve a farm bill on a strong, bipartisan vote to give it the head of steam necessary for floor consideration and passage.

One of the challenges in the Senate process will be to keep a regional feud from erupting over how to strengthen the farm bill for individual commodities, potentially dividing agricultural interests. Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) will be charged with wisely counseling colleagues that improvements should be made to the farm safety net in a way that does not jeopardize the farm bill’s passage.

A big challenge on the Senate floor will be not only fending off germane but harmful amendments, but also avoiding politically-charged amendments that may only be proposed to gum up the farm bill and score political points.

MCGA will continue to work with its partners in Washington D.C. to represent Minnesota’s corn farmers. To stay up to date, follow the MCGA blog, as well as follow MCGA on Facebook (@MinnesotaCorn) and Twitter (@mncorn).