Farm Bill Push Back

The 2018 Farm Bill is not being well received by everyone in the Agriculture industry.

In addition to requiring new work and job requirements from those who receive food stamps, sustainable farming advocates say the bitterly contested bill would eliminate programs that help farmers get their products to market and undermine successful investments that have helped create more resilient farms.

Greg Fogel with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, says the current farm bill is more extreme than other farm bills in attacking sustainable agricultural programs.

"There's definitely a certain vision behind this farm bill and it's not one that puts small and mid-sized farms or diversified agriculture or organic agriculture or beginning farmers or the environment front and center," says Fogel.

Fogel says it also would eliminate investment in programs that connect farmers with new local customers.

"It's more extreme than any other farm bill in the past, in its attack on these sustainable ag programs," says Fogel. "You see these programs working every day in communities, and this bill would end all that."

The Farm Bill also adds new work and job-training requirements for recipients of the nation's nutrition assistance program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. If passed, workers in their 50s would be ineligible to receive food assistance if they are not working 20 hours a week or participating in an approved training program.

The Agriculture Committee is asking Congress to vote on the Farm Bill by early May. The Farm Bill was drafted by Republicans without input from Democrats.