It seems just yesterday that the House and Senate were haggling over the 2008 farm bill, which authorizes most federal farm and food policies. But here we are again with only a little over a month left in 2010 and according to a Congressional Research Service report there are thirty-seven programs set to expire before the next passage of the farm bill in 2012. Included in these endangered programs are the Grassland and Wetlands Reserve Programs, the Farmers Market Promotion Program, and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. These and other programs that focus on sustainable agriculture and land conservation are going to have to scrounge for funds from other sections of the farm bill. This practically ensures an intense competition between supporters of conservation programs and smaller farming operations. All the endangered programs are equally important and influential in the developing of sustainable agriculture and preserving natural habitat. It's definitely adding up to another long and arduous struggle for Congress in creating a farm bill that doesn't leave these programs without support.
