US Congress must pass farm spending bill this year, say commodity groups

By Leah Douglas

(Reuters) - More than 300 U.S. farm and commodity groups urged Congress in a letter on Monday to pass a long-delayed farm spending bill before the end of the year, as farmers face a projected decline in income.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The farm bill, an omnibus package passed every five years, funds farm commodity and subsidy programs, as well as nutrition and conservation programs.

A new bill with stronger farm supports would provide certainty to farmers who are facing high input costs and extreme weather, among other hurdles, said the letter signed by groups including the National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, and American Soybean Association.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projected last week that farm income will fall 4.4% in 2024, the second consecutive annual decline.

CONTEXT

The 2018 farm bill expired in September 2023 and Congress failed to pass a new package last year due to a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over key issues including funding for nutrition aid.

Instead, lawmakers passed an extension of the 2018 law that expires at the end of this month, though most farm programs will continue through the end of the year.

The Republican-led House Agriculture Committee passed its version of a new farm bill in May with little Democratic support. The House and Senate farm committees each draft a version of the farm bill and must reconcile them before a full Congressional vote.

KEY QUOTE

"Failing to reauthorize a farm bill without meaningful investments in commodity programs and crop insurance, or settling for a simple extension of current law, would leave thousands of family farms with no options to continue producing for this nation in 2025 and beyond," said the letter.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)