The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing this week to review the farm bill and get perspectives from commodity groups on Title I. Title I Provides support for major commodity crops, including wheat, corn, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, rice, dairy, and sugar. It also provides disaster assistance.
Nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other nutrition programs take up 76 percent of the funding in the farm bill, or more than $325 billion dollars. Though crop security is only 9 percent, or a projected $38 billion, crop security like insurance and price loss coverage programs, often gets public scrutiny.
Not all commodities qualify for Title I protection. Among those that don’t are many of California’s fruit and vegetables. However, in 2008, Title X was added to the bill and focused on programs for specialty crops.
Listen to today’s National Spotlight for comments from California Representative Jim Costa during the hearing.
In his opening statement, House Agriculture Chairman David Scott of Georgia said, “This hearing is an important opportunity for us to reflect on commodity programs in the 2018 Farm Bill and gather input from key stakeholders on what is working and is not working for farmers across the country.”
Following the hearing, Chairman Scott delivered the following statement:
“I would like to thank our esteemed panel of witnesses for joining us today and providing us with their unique perspectives on how the 2018 Farm Bill is working for them,” said Chairman Scott. “As we look ahead to the 2023 Farm Bill, I am committed to making sure that the full breadth of voices from our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and consumers is represented in our efforts. Today’s panel is an integral piece in that process, and I look forward to the months ahead as we discuss the other farm bill titles and issue areas.”
A full video of the hearing can be found here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.