Source: USDA, Farm Bureau Calculations

Individuals and families own more than 98% of U.S. farms and produce about 86% of America’s food and fiber. But farming and ranching aren’t easy, the risks are high, and every time a family farm goes out of business the overall aggregate of its impact eventually reverberates throughout farm and ranch country. The purpose of the Farm Bill is to help mitigate these risks while also providing much-needed nutrition assistance to millions of Americans in need.

But, what do we really know about the Farm Bill, and what does it mean to Arizona, to you and me?

At a joint event hosted by the United Food Bank in Mesa, the Arizona Farm Bureau and the Association of Arizona Food Banks joined forces to report how important the passage of a Farm Bill in 2018 is to all Americans. And while the U.S. House of Representatives had failed to pass its version of the bill (H.R. 2) on May 18, it’s anticipated that the House will take it up again later this month.

Meanwhile, the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up their version of the bill this week.

“America’s farmers and ranchers are facing an economic storm across the countryside,” said American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, “so the release of the Senate Farm Bill is a crucial step to move the very important farm bill process forward. Farm income is at a decade low. Farm debt is on the rise and international markets for our farm goods are in jeopardy. The Senate Agriculture Committee, led by Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, have worked hard to address those economic challenges and assemble a bipartisan bill that provides the clarity, policy certainty, and vital risk protection tools that our farmers need now more than ever. It’s important that the Senate bill strikes a balance that will help set the overall congressional tone for getting the farm bill done this year.”

Continued: