The farm safety net provided in the 2008 Farm Bill is essential for wheat producers, who are involved in one of the riskiest industries in our economy.

Back in 2006, the producers on NAWG’s Board of Directors identified protecting the direct payment as wheat’s top priority for the farm bill process – no small feat considering both Chairmen of the Congressional Agriculture Committees joined many other interests in supporting its reduction or elimination.

Ultimately, a lot of leg work and partnerships with like-minded Members of Congress prevailed over big city editorial boards and historic budget problems, and the direct payment program was preserved with only small cuts in three of the five years covered by the 2008 Farm Bill. Other significant victories were achieved in farm policy, conservation, energy and other policy areas.

More than year after passage, work on the 2008 Farm Bill continues as USDA agencies work to implement a number of complicated programs created by Congress.

2008 Farm Bill Provisions

For more about provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill, please see:

• an informal, one-page PDF summary of the commodity title, available here.
• a presentation on the 2008 Farm Bill to NAWG Board members from John Johnson, then-deputy administrator for farm programs for USDA’s Farm Service Agency, given Oct. 31, 2008.
• USDA’s Economic Research Service page on the 2008 Farm Bill.
• title-by-title fact sheets from the House Agriculture Committee.

Implementation

NAWG continues to follow a number of issues that will have a significant effect on how well the 2008 Farm Bill’s safety net functions for growers. Key areas of concern include:

• the implications of rules that determine eligibility for farm programs and how payment limits will be applied;
• the need for regulations governing the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance (SURE) program; and
• continued calls for budget cuts to safety net programs.

Making of the 2008 Farm Bill

NAWG grower-leaders began work on the 2008 Farm Bill nearly three years before it was finalized. The dozens of letters, statements and official comments to Congress on farm bill issues produced in that process are available in the farm bill archive page, available here.

Facts About Farm Policy

It’s important to separate fact from myth when talking about farm policy. To facilitate this process during the 2008 Farm Bill debate, NAWG and other leading farm organizations formed Farm Policy Facts, a coalition dedicated to educating Congress and the American people about agriculture’s contribution to a strong and vibrant United States. Visit the Farm Policy Facts Web site here.