Ag groups are either gearing up for a new Farm Bill, in the midst of Farm Bill updates and debates, or groping their way through changes from the previous Farm Bill. Welcome to the midst. This omnibus bill is updated about every five years and it’s a beast of a bill that governs policy on farm income support, food assistance, trade, crop insurance and other timely policy issues.

The most recent Farm Bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, is a 530-page monster that covers (get ready): commodity policy, marketing loans, sugar policy, dairy margin coverage, agricultural disaster assistance noninsured crop insurance, conservation and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and trade requirements, assurance and laws.

Title IV, nutrition, and with it, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) appears to be a relatively brief portion before the bill jumps back into operating loans, hemp research, barley data, forestry, energy, livestock and oilheat research.

Light a candle for the legislative aids who read this puppy and report back.

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I’ve said many times previously how diverse Colorado agriculture is with an amazing array of commodities and enough difference from east to west and north to south that a passport isn’t a bad idea. Once we look at agriculture through a national lens and take into consideration dairy, sugar, cotton and other commodities, the differences are stunning. It is truly an incredibly diverse industry, and I envy those who have a firm grasp on the high points of each state and region. My understanding of farmed seafood, citrus, sugar and algebra are all at a similar level and it’s not the gifted class level.

Each of the major ag groups outlines their priorities for the Farm Bill and I’ll offer some notes about the priorities outlined by the American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF is keeping a keen eye on continued farm bill program funding; keeping nutrition programs and farm programs unified in a single bill; prioritizing risk management tools including federal crop insurance and commodity programs; and ensuring adequate USDA staffing and resources to provide technical assistance.

Since 2018’s Farm Bill, agriculture has weathered price volatility, processing gluts, natural disasters and input costs that have increased to a staggering level. Terms like “black swan event” have been thrown around enough to become a part of the vernacular, even when it leaves a bitter taste on the speaker’s tongue. The Farm Bill is a chance to grasp at stability and predictability for ag producers. With 80% of the most recent Farm Bill dedicated to the SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) program and putting food on the table of those who need it most, it also offers an opportunity for security to parents who struggle to put nutritious food in their children’s bellies. At ag’s core, we feed hungry people and be the debate over nutrition often contentious, ag wants people to have access to the abundant, affordable and safe food supply we enjoy here in the United States.

One of the perennial debates that makes discussions around the Farm Bill particularly contentious is SNAP work requirements. According to an opinion article by Robert Paarlberg and G. William Hoagland, SNAP is likely to be used as a pawn in the battle to raise the federal debt limit. Though neither party has support to cut funding to either Social Security or Medicare, the two said no one in D.C. has promised to avoid cuts to SNAP.

In Fiscal Year 2023, SNAP will cost an estimated $153.9 billion, which Bloomberg has reported is more than double the annual spending level prior to COVID. The SNAP program serves 42 million people and has long been managed via the Farm Bill. The bipartisan nature of the Farm Bill is somewhat solid as Republicans traditionally wish to support agriculture producers and Dems traditionally wish to support nutrition programs for low-income households, giving everyone a vested interest in the bill. With rural food insecurity at an all-time high, it’s a reminder hunger doesn’t differentiate between zip codes. COVID-time increases in benefits and costly programs are running out and hopefully that will restore the bipartisan nature of the Farm Bill and highlight its importance for producers and consumers alike.

My dad has long preached a country able to feed itself is a country able to defend itself. My hope is lawmakers and trade groups can work with that in mind to fund vital programs and support those who need it, be it through SNAP or increased stability for farm and ranch families.

Rachel Gabel writes about agriculture and rural issues. She is assistant editor of The Fence Post Magazine, the region’s preeminent agriculture publication. Gabel is a daughter of the state’s oil and gas industry and a member of one of the state’s 12,000 cattle-raising families, and she has authored children’s books used in hundreds of classrooms to teach students about agriculture.