United States farm bill

A U.S. farm bill or farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the Federal government of the United States. The comprehensive omnibus bill is passed every 5 years or so by the United States Congress and deals with both agriculture and all other affairs under the purview of the United States Department of Agriculture.

It usually amends some and suspends provisions of permanent law, reauthorizes, amends, or repeals provisions of preceding temporary agricultural acts, and puts forth new policy provisions for a limited time into the future. Beginning in 1973, farm bills have included titles on commodity programs, trade, rural development, farm credit, conservation, agricultural research, food and nutrition programs, marketing, etc.^[1]

Farm bills can be highly controversial and can impact international trade, environmental preservation, food safety, and the well-being of rural communities. The agricultural subsidy programs mandated by the farm bills are the subject of intense debate both within the U.S. and internationally.

The current farm bill, known as the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, replaces the last farm bill which expired in September 2007.

Contents 1 Non-farm bill agriculture legislation 2 Farm bills 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Non-farm bill agriculture legislation

• Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916
• Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933
• Frazier–Lemke Farm Bankruptcy Act of 1934
• Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937
• Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938
• Agricultural Act of 1948
• Agricultural Act of 1949
• Agricultural Act of 1954
• Agricultural Act of 1956
• Farm Credit Act of 1971

[edit] Farm bills

According to the Congressional Research Service, nine bills between 1965 and 2002 are "generally agreed" to be farm bills;^[1] the 2008 farm bill is the tenth.

1. Food and Agricultural Act of 1965
2. Agricultural Act of 1970
3. Agricultural and Consumer Protection Act of 1973
4. Food and Agriculture Act of 1977
5. Agriculture and Food Act of 1981
6. Food Security Act of 1985
7. Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990
8. Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996
9. Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
10. Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
    

The full text of U.S. farm bills, and the corresponding legislative history, is provided by the National Agricultural Law Center on the Center's Farm Bills page. The Center collected and digitized the farm bill legislation text and legislative history in partnership with the United States National Agricultural Library, an entity within the USDA Agricultural Research Service. The National Agricultural Law Center is the nation's leading source of agricultural and food law research and information.

[edit] External links

• The National Agricultural Law Center
• The National Agricultural Law Center, Farm Bills Page
• U.S. Farm Bill 2007 Ag Observatory (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy)
• Farm Policy Facts
• American Farmland Trust
• Recipient database
• USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program
• U.S. Farm Bills

[edit] References

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