MINNEAPOLIS—In response to the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill on September 30 — and no new Farm Bill to take its place — the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has issued the following statement from Michael Happ, IATP’s Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities:
"We are now two years past the original end date of the 2018 Farm Bill, and Congress has yet to pass a new one. Regardless of the larger looming government shutdown, important programs funded by the Farm Bill will lose their authority to function, including those focused on market access, conservation, nutrition, research, and on-farm clean energy.”
The 2018 Farm Bill, which first expired in November 2023 and was extended until September 2025, funds key programs for farmers including programs focused on nutrition, crop insurance, conservation, clean energy, and more. It’s been a key piece of legislation since it was first drafted in 1933, and includes crucial nutrition programs that rural communities across the U.S. rely on. This expiration, on top of a looming government shutdown, leaves farmers and rural residents to shoulder the consequences.
“With the bulk of the federal government slated to be shut down, local USDA offices will be empty while support for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) participants will dry up. We urge the Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress to come to the table and keep these essential programs running,” says Happ.
With no new Farm Bill passed, the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill abandons a huge swath of critically important issues and programs directly impacting farmers, including:
- Conservation programs for farmers including the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers and landowners to remove cropland from production to restore native species, soil and water health.
- Programs that invest in rural communities, like the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program and Rural Cooperative Development Grants.
- Programs that provide training to next generation farmers, like the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach.
- Programs that help farmers access new market opportunities, like the Local Agriculture Market Program, Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs, Regional Food System Partnership Programs, and Value-Added Producer Grants.
- Agricultural research and extension programs, like the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, and Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
For more information and insights into the Farm Bill, visit www.iatp.org/farm-bill-23
