Rhetoric about the farm bill getting completed in 2024 has ramped up recently with ag lawmakers feeling the pressure to get something done. But why now?
“I’m pleased that we’re seeing a goal of maybe getting this thing done and getting it done independently,” says Indiana native and former USDA Undersecretary Ted McKinney. “I’m excited about the possibilities. Not the certainty, but the possibilities.”
Now the CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, McKinney is hearing the same buzz in D.C. as many others. He believes it’s for a couple of reasons.
“First, there have been some very good studies, including those from USDA’s own analysis, that suggest the economy on the farm is bad and getting worse, or at least it doesn’t look very good going into next year.”
One of those reports from USDA forecasts a 23% drop in farm income from 2022. Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall put it bluntly to this reporter last week when he asked, “how would you be doing if your paycheck was cut by 23%?” I imagine your response would be similar to mine- “Not great.”
The other reason McKinney believes the pressure is on lawmakers to get a farm bill through in a lame duck session focuses on nutrition, which is around 85% of the farm bill.
“Hunger, in many sectors, continues to rise. It’s surprising because we’re out of COVID. You’d think we’re back to it. I think it has to be this rate of inflation and the stingy rate of food inflation that has stayed there, that combines to say, ‘Whoa, we’ve got to do something.’”
McKinney has more to say about this and other topics like food security, labor, and trade in the Indiana Ag Policy Podcast. Find it now wherever you listen to podcasts or on the HAT mobile app.
