OGLE COUNTY — It has been a little more than a week since President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law after passing in the House of Representatives earlier this month.

Key points in the bill include certainty and stability to farm families for the next five years, upholding fiscal responsibility by being budget neutral and protecting crop insurance. It will fund needed trade development as well as investing in ag research and beginning farmer programs. It also continues nutrition assistance programs for lower income families.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway applauded the passage, indicating it to be “a big deal for rural America.” 

“With President Trump signing the farm bill today, America keeps faith with those hard-working farm and ranch families who put food on our tables and clothes on our backs,” remarked Conaway on the day of Trump’s signing on Dec. 20. “Because of the support of the president, Sec. Perdue and a Republican Congress, we were able to deliver a new farm bill in the same year that the legislation was first introduced, which marks a first in nearly 30 years. I’m proud of this bill and I’m honored to have served as chairman throughout this process. I’m thankful to all those who worked to help make today’s enactment of the farm bill possible.”

Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. applauded President Trump’s signing on the “historic and overwhelmingly bipartisan” farm bill.

“The 2018 farm bill is a complete package that serves all Americans. It helps to ensure the food security and economic security of our nation,” Guebert Jr. said. “Directly or indirectly, it benefits everyone in towns large and small.” 

Closer to home, Ogle County Farm Bureau manager Ron Kern talked about how the new bill will affect farmers.

“The passage of the new Farm Bill is welcomed relief for farmers across the country who are facing yet another year of depressed commodity prices and shrinking balance sheets,” Kern said. “The new bill will add stability to farmers by retaining crop insurance as a key risk management tool, developing foreign markets to expand trade and continue valuable environmental stewardship programs.”

Adding, “This bill was passed with strong bipartisan support in Washington. That support proves how valuable this piece of legislation is to all Americans.”

Farm Bill facts

The House Agriculture Committee assembled a short summary of the 2018 Farm Bill; it highlights each of the sections — commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, forestry, horticulture and crop insurance. 

There are also several facts listed:  Just 8.6 cents of every dollar spent on food goes to the farmer. The remaining share goes to processors, wholesalers, retailers and food service; the 2014 Farm bill was expected to save $23 billion over 10 years. Most recent projections show it will save $100 billion, which is more than four times what was anticipated; and U.S. Ag exports to Canada and Mexico are up over 400 percent since NAFTA took effect in 1994.

A complete list, including the bill’s text can be found at agriculture.house.gov/farmbill.

Helpful links

Farm Bill 2018:

https://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill/

House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill Top 10 highlights: https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/agriculture_and_nutrition_act_top_10_highlights.pdf

House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill Short Summary:

https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/agriculture_and_nutrition_act_short_summary.pdf