NASDA on the 2023 Farm Bill

The start of the new year brings many priorities under the spotlight as leaders from across the country fight to ensure their issues are heard. However, one responsibility looms over the capitol, uniting leaders and industries on one issue: The 2023 Farm Bill.

The next five-year federal farm bill is to replace the current bill from 2018 that’s set to expire at the end of September.

Former USDA Undersecretary Ted McKinney now serves as CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. He says some farm groups are concerned that money could be diverted away from the ag industry and allocated more for nutrition and food assistance programs like SNAP (The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

“That will all come together in the Democratic process. It will not be pretty. It will not be clean – it never is – but I think they'll come up with a workable farm bill, and we'll keep those programs together as we should. We cannot separate the farm and nutrition components, even though there's times it may look like we should. We cannot separate them because it brings both of them along together.”

Even though Republicans now control the House and Democrats retain control of the Senate, McKinney is confident that the 2023 farm bill will have all the pieces needed to help both the ag industry and food-related federal programs.