President Donald Trump on December 20 signed the 2018 Farm Bill..
It’s been two years in the making, but farmers will have to wait a little bit longer before it’s put into effect.
“Once the president signs the bill it is law, but it still must be implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the states and other federal agencies,” explained Ben Rowe, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation national affairs coordinator. He said federal agencies like the USDA can take months to process new regulations.
“It’s great news for Virginia farmers, because they are facing increasing uncertainty with our international trade partners and increasing tariffs, all paired with several years of decreased commodity prices,” Rowe continued. “So a farm bill gives them five years of certainty for things like crop insurance, dairy assistance and commodity programs, as well as trade promotion funding.”
The House of Representatives passed the legislation on December 12 after the Senate had approved the conference bill the day before. The farm bill generally is approved every five years and sets national farm policy for farmers and consumers.
More than half of the $867 billion bill supports supplemental nutrition assistance programs. The bill also reauthorizes crop insurance and conservation programs; funds trade promotion programs and…
