May 22, 2018

Farm bill vote by US House panned by New York Farm Bureau

New York’s farmers are disappointed by the failure of the U.S. House to pass the 2018 Farm Bill.

The following is a statement by New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher.

“New York Farm Bureau is disappointed in the vote on the 2018 Farm Bill by the U.S. House of Representatives. At a time when the farm economy is depressed, and farm net income has fallen by more than 50 percent, farmers need stable farm policy in this country to provide some certainty in these troubled times.  Food security should not be a political football in this country.

In the 2018 Farm Bill, New York Farm Bureau supports efforts to create a stronger, more reliable dairy revenue protection program as well as keeping the Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program as a pilot program. This product was intended to help diversified fruit and vegetable farms that don’t have good crop insurance options. New York Farm Bureau also supports important assistance to producers and landowners to adopt conservation activities on agricultural and forest lands, efforts to expand the products available through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and rural economic development programs.

The Farm Bill is also fiscally responsible. Even amid great financial hardship for agriculture, farmers are doing their part to help restrain federal spending. It will contribute more than $112 billion to deficit reduction over the next 10 years. These savings are roughly five times greater than initially pledged. 

We encourage lawmakers to find a path forward by September when the current Farm Bill is set to expire.”