H.R. 4316 – Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2017
In November of 2017, H.R. 4316 or the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2017 was introduced to the United States House of Representatives and is currently under review of the House Agriculture and House Appropriations committees. The current bill is a renewal of the major 2014 Farm Bill, which created additional crop insurance programs, funded Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Programs (SNAP), and aided underrepresented farmers working in specialty crops, bioenergy, and beginning farmers among other groups (Highlights from the USDA website).
ProSPER Highlights:
- Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – the new bill could potentially increase funding and available acreage of CRP land. Farmers enrolled in the CRP program receive an annual payment to remove environmentally sensitive land from farming-use and to plant beneficial plant species on their land.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – the largest portion of the farm bill funding is marked for nutrition assistance programs. SNAP provides a “domestic hunger safety net” and helps low-income families and individuals make nutritional food decisions.
Additional Links and Reading:
- ‘Who to watch in the 2018 Farm Bill debate’ by the Missouri Ruralist
- ‘Farm Bill 2018: A Primer’ by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
- ‘What the 2018 farm bill means for urban, suburban and rural America’ by The Conversation
- ‘What is the Farm Bill’ by the Federation of American Scientists
I hope that the provision to prevent soil erosion is emphasized in the CRP program! Soil erosion is one of the most pressing environmental challenges that the country faces!