Reconciliation Package Will Benefit Farmers and Ranchers
Emily Buckman
Director, Government Affairs
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
The One Big Beautiful Bill is on its way to President Trump’s desk for signature, just in time for his Fourth of July deadline. Chad Smith tells us the reconciliation package includes many important provisions for America’s farmers and ranchers.
Smith: After weeks of debate, the One Big Beautiful Bill got approval from the House and Senate. Emily Buckman, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this bill does a lot for farmers and ranchers.
Buckman: It delivers much-needed enhancements in the farm safety net, including higher reference prices that reflect the current agricultural economy. In addition, it invests in working lands conservations programs, it supports increased us commodity exports, as well as provide additional resources to bolster our research capabilities.
Smith: Agriculture will see a total 66 billion dollars invested in the bill. She said Farm Bureau member engagement was critical in getting the legislation passed.
Buckman: They described the current agricultural economy, the toll of extreme weather events that they've seen as of late, and the ongoing challenges of keeping farms in the family. First-hand accounts remind lawmakers just how important it is to ensure that there was support for farm and ranch families in this legislation.
Smith: While the legislation contains provisions beneficial to farmers and ranchers, there are other priorities Farm Bureau will work on before the current farm bill extension expires.
Buckman: This includes policy-related updates to programs across several fields of the farm bill, including conservation reserve programs, USDA broadband programs, and we're also looking to find a fix for proposition 12. So, we look forward to working with the agriculture committees in the coming months to address the remaining farm bill priorities.
Smith: For more information, go to fb.org. Chad Smith, Washington.
