WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – With the latest version of the Farm Bill still up in the air, questions remain about getting a deal done by the end of the year.
“We need a Farm Bill passed so as we are able to have the certainty moving forward that we have that safety net underneath of us,” said farmer Chris Tanner from Norton. “Well, I think we have to be optimistic about wanting to get a Farm Bill passed, but I think with the current climate in Washington D.C., it’s going to be difficult.”
Tanner is not alone in his optimism and realism that a deal is not easy.
“So you know, maybe the Republicans want to wait to next year to get the all-Republican congress. They might be able to pass one that’s more favorable to them,” said Jennifer Ifft, associate professor with the department of agriculture economics at Kansas State University. “There are a couple of reasons why you might want to do it this year. So, the 2017 Trump tax cuts from his first administration expire next year. So, Congress is going to be busy already. And just in terms of how they budget for the Farm Bill, but in terms of how they budget, there might be more budget to work with this year than next year.”
Ifft has a perspective on the issue, as she has integrated research and extension programs that cover policy and regulatory issues impacting U.S. and Kansas agriculture.
“So if there is appetite for it, they could push something through still,” said Ifft. It really affects almost everybody. Every American. So, yeah, the safety net for hungry people, you have a safety net for family farms. It funds a lot of conservation practices that might be costly for farmers, but they have a lot of benefits for the public. And then there’s what I call the one percent. So, less than one percent of the Farm Bill funds all kinds of public good. It’s the U.S. Forest Service. It’s research. It’s extension. Money for rural government, so then there’s a lot in there that’s important to people.”
When Tanner is not farming, he is active and involved as a member of the Kansas Wheat Commission, and he watches closely.
“But the safety net that the Farm Bill provides to us is highly critical of crop insurance and things like that,” said Tanner. “Because, I mean, be it flooding or fires or you know or freeze or whatever else, that crop is always at risk for, you know, not making it. And that safety net of the Farm Bill is there to make sure that you know you stay financially secure.”