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1 1 (January 3, 2007)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabdgn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22131 Updated January 3, 2007 C, CRS Report for Congress The Farm Bill in Brief Geoffrey S. Becker Specialist in Agricultural Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Most provisions of the current farm bill, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-17 1), expire in 2007, and the 110th Congress is expected to make decisions about the content of a new one. Commodity price and income support policy is usually the most contentious component of a farm bill. However, other food and agricultural issues, including conservation, rural development, trade, domestic food assistance, and biofuels also will be debated. This report will be updated as events warrant; for a more extensive discussion of the issues, see CRS Report RL33037, Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill, coordinated by Jasper Womach. What Is the Farm Bill? Federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. Although many of these policies can be and sometimes are modified through freestanding authorizing legislation, or as part of other laws, the omnibus, multi-year farm bill provides an opportunity for policymakers to address agricultural and food issues more comprehensively. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-171) is the most recent omnibus farm bill. Many provisions, notably farm income and commodity price supports, expire in 2007. Without new legislation, permanent price support statutes would take effect. Most of these statutes were enacted many decades ago and are no longer compatible with current national economic objectives, global trading rules, and federal budgetary or regulatory policies. Many believe that these largely outdated permanent laws are kept on the books partly to compel a Congress with increasingly urban and suburban constituencies to pay attention to national agricultural policy. What's in a Farm Bill? If the next bill follows the pattern of the last six omnibus farm bills, dating back to 1977, it will contain titles on commodity price support namely, the methods and levels of federal aid to agricultural producers as well as on conservation, trade, food stamps, and research. Many past bills also included titles on agricultural credit, rural development, Congressional Research Service , The Library of Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress