Federal Farm Bill

Overview

Every five to seven years, the United States Congress passes what is arguably the single most important piece of legislation affecting the nation’s food environment. The federal farm bill, a massively complex piece of legislation that authorizes billions of dollars of taxpayer spending, is the largest source of support for America’s farmers and the programs that form the food safety net that provides food to this country’s needy. It plays a key role in decisions about what foods are grown and produced in the United States and, therefore, what Americans eat. The farm bill should be of interest to anyone who cares about the quality of the American diet.

The 2008 Farm Bill is 673 pages long and is divided into 15 “titles.” Each title deals with a major area of concern, some of which are not intuitively related to farming. Three of the farm bill’s titles are directly related to consumption of fruits and vegetables: Title I – Commodity Programs, Title IV – Nutrition, and Title X – Horticulture and Organic Agriculture.

The farm bill’s commodity programs provide payments to farmers for growing specific kinds of crops. The most heavily subsidized crops – corn, soybeans, and wheat – are implicated in rising rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases. At the same time, commodity programs provide no support for fruits and vegetables.

The nutrition title accounts for more than two-thirds of farm bill spending. Several nutrition assistance programs are authorized in the farm bill, including the nation’s largest and most important food safety net, food stamps. Since an estimated one-fifth of Americans depends on federal food assistance programs to supplement their diet, these programs have significant relevance to any efforts at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Key provisions in the bill include block grants, plant pest and disease management programs, and funding for farmers’ markets.

The farm bill debate needs to be broadened, especially to include the public health community. The farm bill affects every American and has a profound effect on public health. It offers a unique opportunity for the nation to create an integrated food system that supports healthy farms and healthy diets.

Select Resources

• Congressional Research Services, Library of Congress, What is the “Farm Bill? (2008).
• Daniel Imhoff, Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill (Watershed Media 2007).
• Scott Marlow, The Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA ed., The Non-Wonk Guide to Understanding Federal Commodity Payments (2005).
• Michael Pollan, Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Natural History of Four Meals (The Penguin Press 2006).
• Greg Critser, Fat Land (Houghton Mifflin Company 2003).
• Mark Muller et al., Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Considering the Contribution of U.S. Food and Agricultural Policy to the Obesity Epidemic: Overview and Opportunities (Feb. 2007).

Key Links

• National Agricultural Law Center website.  Contains copies of the 2008 and previous farm bills, as well as related research publications.
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service website. Includes nutrition assistance programs information, eligibility requirements and participation statistics.
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture “Farm Bill” website. Contains information about farm bill implementation and rulemaking.
• Environmental Working Group website. Contains farm commodity programs information and a database of commodity program payments.
• The Food and Society Policy Fellows website. Contains farm policy information.
• Agriculture and Applied Economics website. Includes information about farm and fuel issues, including an extensive section on the 2008 Farm Bill.

Select Sample Policies

Laws promoting farmers markets and other providers of fresh produce

• San Francisco Park Code § 7.21 (authorizing farmers markets, requiring farmers market vendors to accept forms of payment provided by food assistance program participants, and requiring a needs assessment to determine which underserved neighborhoods can support farmers markets)
• New York City’s “Green Carts” program