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Preparing for a major shift in the 2018 Farm Bill

The debate over what the 2018 Farm Bill will look like is heating up fast – but the discussions about it have changed.

Chuck Connor, president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives says, “This is going to be a different kind of Farm Bill than we’ve had for a while.”

Connor says almost all sectors of the ag economy are declining – and that impacts the Farm Bill debate.  “To be clear – it’s not 1985,” he says.  “This is NOT light your hair on fire and start running around.  But we’ve had a couple of years with declining farm income that need to be taken seriously.  I think we’re going to write a good Farm Bill that’s going to help producers survive these tough economic times.”

He tells Brownfield there are segments of the current Farm Bill, particularly the dairy and cotton programs, which need to be fixed.

Connor says that can only happen with leadership that represents a diverse segment of agriculture.  “To make sure – particularly as we prepare for a Farm Bill – that the Secretary of Agriculture and ultimately the President and Vice-President are hearing the views of producers from all regions of the country,” he says.

The first Farm Bill field hearing is set for February 23 – in Manhattan, Kansas.

AUDIO: Chuck Connor, NCFC