Hoosier Ag Today 

Stabenow, Senate Dems Unveil Farm Bill Text

Senate Democrats unveiled their 2024 Farm Bill text Monday led by Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Stabenow says, “The foundation of every successful Farm Bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan Farm Bill coalition. This is a strong bill that invests in all of agriculture, helps families put food on the table, supports rural prosperity, and holds that coalition together.”

Following the release of the Farm Bill text, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall released the following statement: “We’re reviewing Chairwoman Stabenow’s newly released 1,300 pages of farm bill text. It’s unfortunate that only a few legislative working days remain for Congress to act, but Farm Bureau remains committed to working with elected officials on both sides of the aisle to achieve federal policy that improves the outlook for farmers and ranchers. Our members across the nation have been clear in calling for a new farm bill in 2024 that helps farmers hold on after farm income dropped 30% in two years. The hardworking women and men who grow the food, fiber and renewable fuel for our nation cannot afford to wait for good federal policy that helps them manage the day-to-day risks inherent in agriculture.”

Pork producers were disappointed in what the bill didn’t include.

“Though America’s pork producers appreciate Chairwoman Stabenow’s efforts to publish Farm Bill text, this is simply not a viable bill, as it fails to provide a solution to California Prop. 12,” said National Pork Producers Council President Lori Stevermer, a pork producer from Easton, Minn. “Pork producers have continually spoken up about the negative impacts of this issue, and it is a shame these conversations were disregarded.”

In May, NPPC secured 100 percent of pork producers’ priorities in the House Agriculture Committee-passed bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill. In June, producers once again secured all policy priorities in Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman’s 2024 Farm Bill framework.

Boozman had this to say on X: