Latest News From Senate Ag Committee

House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, along with other members, is seeking additional funding sources for the bill, but that will likely be the biggest farm bill hurdle that may trip up lawmakers.

Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow, (D-Mich.) says there will be no new funding for the 2023 farm bill. However, Stabenow stressed she will not allow a cut in conservation funding.

SNAP, which historically receives the greatest amount of farm bill funding, will see an 82% increase of a quarter-trillion-dollars.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Alexis Taylor for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. According to Taylor, her priorities include addressing export markets and food insecurity.

If passed in the final weeks of 2022, the Affordable and Secure Food Act would streamline the H2-A program, offer agricultural wage stabilization and provide a path to citizenship for farmworkers.

“We rely on the support of farm bill funding and programs to ensure continued U.S. leadership as the provider of the best seed to the world," said Katy Rainey, Purdue associate professor, at the Senate Ag hearing.

USApple President and CEO Jim Bair spoke at a Sept. 15 press conference on Capitol Hill urging Senate action on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.

Senate leadership’s timeline for the BBB proposal is just before Christmas, according to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin is calling for a strategic pause for the vote, delaying it into 2022.