Farm Bill Passes The Senate

The U.S.  Senate passed a farm bill Thursday on a 64-35 voted.  The bill sets the nation’s agriculture policies and is renewed every five years. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) says the bill lowers spending, ends direct payments to farmers, keeps programs that are working and eliminates others that aren’t.

Enzi says the bill saves $23 billion over 10 years and consolidates 23 conservation programs into 13. The bill also ends direct subsidies to farmers. This means that farmers will no longer receive direct price and income support from the federal government.

One program that remains in the bill after multiple attempts to eliminate it, is the federal sugar program. The sugar program limits how much sugar can be imported and stored.  Enzi reminded his colleagues of the merits of the program, which he said benefits not only Wyoming sugar growers, but consumers across the nation.

The bill includes language Enzi authored that authorizes resources for a competitive grant program designed to help researchers in the fight against livestock diseases, such as brucellosis. Enzi  says changes to crop insurance will also provide farmers with greater options for managing risk and creates the opportunity to purchase insurance programs that lock in price, yield or profit.