Food and farm programs historically persist through the farm bill. Packaging multiple cross-party issues into one bill ensures rural and urban legislators come together to pass it. But that coalition has been fracturing over past farm bill cycles, creating uncertainty on the farm and in grocery stores.
Congressional lawmakers are looking to add rotisserie chicken to the list of foods people can purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Currently, the program excludes hot and pre-prepared foods.
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act, includes provisions impacting agriculture, including crop protection tools, livestock policy, and risk management programs.
The massive legislation extends tax cuts and increases safety nets for farmers who grow commodities, like corn, wheat and rice. But deep cuts to federal food assistance spending could hurt specialty growers who benefit from programs like Double Up Food Bucks.
The one-time payments could offer short-term support as many farmers grapple with less income and extreme weather.
The clock is ticking for Congress to address the expired farm bill. Several groups are urging lawmakers to get an updated bill to the finish line before the end of the year.
As she reaches her 100th day in office, Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski has been touring her congressional district, talking about her achievements so far.
The Springfield Democrat told Jim Meadows that one of her goals was to find ways to work constructively with members of the other party.
MOLINE — Congress has a tight deadline to approve a new farm bill. Central Illinois congressman Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., is part of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee that recently reorganized at the start of the 118th Congress in late January. Listen to this story here. Sorensen said it will take compromise to meet the needs
WASHINGTON — The Congress that takes office next year will feature a Senate with a narrow Democratic majority and a House that, so far, has a slim Republican majority. What’s not clear is how that split in control will affect one of the biggest pieces of legislation on the agenda next year: the Farm Bill.
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois State Conservationist Ivan Dozier is happy to explain the reasons why $18 billion has been set aside for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm conservation programs within the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a $740 billion climate, tax and healthcare spending package signed into law by President Joe Biden this summer.