Here is a detailed summary of the policies and politics of the Farm Bill that passed Congress last week.
Details of the 800-page bill were kept under wraps until last Monday night. The reason might have been that, in the words of House Agricultural Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (MN-07), “There’s a concern on some of the members’ part that when people find out what’s in the bill, it will start unraveling.”
Looking at the details of the bill, it is clear why it would start unraveling when people find out what’s in it. Not only does the bill not include the Grassley Amendment giving subsidies to non-farmers, it allows cousins, nieces, and nephews of farmers who participate in farm management — which could mean participating in a conference call — to receive federal government subsidies.
The bill allows farmers to change which “shallow loss” programs they will participate in each year instead of sticking with one program for five years. This may allow them to game the system by choosing whichever one will give them the larger amount of taxpayer subsidies.
