Two-year-old Farm Bill could soon be reality

After two years of reverting to old policy, the Farm Bill will go to President Barrack Obama to be signed after finally passing both the United States House and Senate.  

The House of Representatives passed the bill 251-166 on Jan. 28, only a day after it was introduced.

The Senate, which has failed to pass a Farm Bill for the last two years, passed the bill 68-32 on Tuesday. 

If signed into law, the $1 trillion five-year plan will dictate farm policy and funding through 2018. 

The bill contains changes to farm subsides and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Over the next 10 years, the bill is predicted to save nearly $16.6 billion through cuts from food stamp programs and the elimination of direct payments to farmers. 

Though the $8 billion in cuts to the food stamp program is less than some Republicans had hoped for, the bill was supported across party lines in Congress.  

Anti-hunger groups are still opposed to the bill’s cuts despite the fact it also included a $200-million increase in financing for U.S. food banks. 

The loss of direct payments is something farmers have seen coming for years, but the bill does offer relief through an increase in government-subsidized crop insurance programs. 

Those include options that cover 62 percent of the farmers’ premiums.

The past three years, Rep. Martha Roby has served on the House Committee on Agriculture and worked closely on House versions of the Farm Bill. 

Though she has moved to the House Appropriations Committee, the local congresswoman served on the conference committee tasked with working through the differences of the House and Senate versions of the bill this year. 

The committee is largely responsible for bi-partisan support the bill saw in both bodies of Congress. 

“We appreciate the diligence and leadership of (Reps.) Mike Rogers and Roby in securing passage of a Farm Bill,” said Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell. “As members of the House Agriculture Committee, they have helped develop a Farm Bill that saves taxpayers billions of dollars while maintaining a safety net for farmers.” 

Several state agriculture leaders touted the House-version of the bill. 

Now that the Senate has approved it, the passage rests with the president. 

It is still unclear if the Obama administration will support the changes to the Farm Bill. 

In the past the president has opposed any and all cuts to food stamp programs, but some analysts believe the bipartisan effort and public interest in passing a workable bill would likely prevent a veto.