The USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposal: Possible Questions

Publication Date: March 2007

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Type:

Abstract:

On January 31, 2007, the Secretary of Agriculture publicly released a set of recommendations for a 2007 farm bill. The proposal is comprehensive and follows largely the outline of the current 2002 farm bill, which expires this year. It includes proposals regarding commodity support, conservation, trade, nutrition and domestic food assistance, farm credit, rural development, agricultural research, forestry, energy, and such miscellaneous items as crop insurance, organic programs, and Section 32 purchases of fruits and vegetables.

The Administration delivered its report to Congress, not as a bill, but as a possible focus for debate and a foundation for developing legislation. CRS has received many questions about the content of and potential issues related to the Administration proposal. Given the early stage of the debate, this report poses some questions that may contribute to a better understanding of the proposal.

This report contains a brief description of current policy on each topic, a short explanation of the Administration's proposals, and then questions of a policy, program, and/or budgetary nature. In some cases proposals are repeated in more than one title, and where this happens the questions are duplicated.