Farm Bill 2023-2024

The Farm Bill was enacted in 2018 to support the areas of commodity programs, conservation initiatives, nutrition assistance, rural development, and trade and research. All of these areas received support and/or funding from the federal government. The original bill was providing this support through the 2023 fiscal year, and was renewed to continue the support through September of 2024.

With the non-renewal of this bill, citizens nationwide (not just farmers) are seeing negative effects such as economic disruption, environmental setbacks, food security challenges, and rural development delays. Economic disruption can be seen in farmers and ranchers losing certainty regarding subsidies and risk management programs from the federal government. Environmental setbacks can be seen in conservation and sustainability projects facing funding gaps, therefore leading to incompletion. Food security challenges are seen in disruptions to SNAP and emergency food aid which can increase hunger rates in families and individuals who are already facing issues gaining access to the food they need. Rural development such as broadband and infrastructure projects in underserved areas may be delayed due to the lack of funding and inability to procure materials and employ workers.

Since September of 2024, we have seen no action at the federal level to renew the Farm Bill from 2018 or the creation of a new bill that would accomplish a similar purpose. In 2025, this is something that needs to change in order to keep farmers, ranchers, and stewards of the range healthy and thriving in their work and support to rangeland conservation.

Written by: Emily Smith