Far More Than Just a Farm Bill

By Katie Hetherington Cunfer, Director of Government & Community Relations, GRCA

By the time you read this, the General Election will be over, and we’ll most likely know who has won the races for state and federal offices as well as which party has control of the various chambers. Polls going into the election currently indicate that Republicans are poised to take control of at least the U.S. House since inflation and the economy remain the top issues for voters. The U.S. Senate may also flip or continue to be evenly divided. One of the most important bills that will need to be drawn up and passed by the end of September 2023 is the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill is an omnibus spending bill that appropriates nearly $500 billion over a five-year period on a vast array of programs related to commodities support, conservation, environmental protection, agribusiness support, supply chain, trade, nutrition, school lunch programs, energy, forestry, specialty crop assistance, rural economic development, credit and financing programs, crop insurance, research and extension, and dedicated support for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. The nutrition title, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), was added to this bill in 1973, ballooning the overall cost and adding a much larger and diversified stakeholder base to the process. This bill has direct impact on every aspect of our daily lives and most Americans don’t even realize it.

The key element for the 2023 Farm Bill is Pennsylvania will have a unique opportunity to be in the driver’s seat for this new bill. Should Republicans take control of the U.S. House, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) will become the first Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee since the 1880s. Through Rep. Thompson’s leadership, we will have the ability to shape this bill and hopefully include more consideration for diversified and specialty crop production while finding ways to control the costs that have skyrocketed over the last decade.

Once the 118th Congress convenes, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee will organize multiple hearings and official listening sessions to gather input from farmers, ranchers, business leaders, community advocates and other stakeholders. Over 100 such sessions were conducted in the process of developing the 2018 Farm Bill and the leaders of the committee are committed to

continuing that standard for the development of this year’s bill. As these sessions are scheduled and drafts of the bill are released, the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) will share those details with members so that they can identify ways this bill might affect their business.

The Farm Bill is about far more than just the farm. This bill has importance to any business that relies on raw or value-added products produced by U.S. farms or forests as well as any business that relies on our local, national and international agribusiness economy for customers. In 2023, the Business and Community Advocacy Council (BCAC) will be reestablishing the policy committees process where we will be reviewing the many facets of this bill as well as other state and federal legislation, policies and regulations that will come from the Biden Administration, the 118th Congress, our next Governor’s Administration and the new state legislature. If you are interested in participating in the BCAC and developing GRCA positions on this and other important issues, reach out to me at kcunfer@greaterreading. org. GRCA would love to include your perspective, knowledge and expertise to the council.

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