What does the Farm Bill cover?

What is in a farm bill? Each chapter in the farm bill is called a “Title”. The amount of titles and the topics can change over time. The 2018 Farm Bill has twelve titles – Commodities, Conservation, Nutrition, Credit, Rural Development, Research, Extension and Related Matters, Forestry, Energy, Horticulture, Crop Insurance, and Miscellaneous (advocacy and outreach.

• Commodities: Price and income support for farmers who grow produced and traded non-perishable crops – like soybeans and corn

• Conservation: Programs that help farmers implement natural resource conservation efforts on working lands

• Trade: Food export subsidy programs and international food aid programs

• Nutrition: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP) and a variety of smaller nutrition programs to help low-income Americans afford food

• Credit: Covers federal loan programs designed to help farmers access the financial credit (direct loans, loan guarantees, and other tools) they need to grow and sustain their farming operations

• Rural Development: Programs that help foster rural economic growth through rural business and community development, (farm businesses, rural housing and infrastructure)

• Research, Extension and other matters: Farm and food research, education, and extension programs designed to support innovation, including federal labs, state university-affiliated research, training for farmers and ranchers

• Forestry: Forest-specific conservation programs that help farmers and rural communities to be stewards of forest resources

• Energy: Programs that encourage growing and processing crops for biofuel, help farmers, ranchers and business owners install renewable energy systems, and support research related to energy

• Horticulture: Covers farmers market and local food programs, funding for research and infrastructure for fruits, vegetables and other horticultural crops, and organic farming and certification programs

• Crop Insurance: Provides premium subsidies to farmers’ private crop insurance companies who provide federal crop insurance  to protect against losses in yield, crop revenue, or whole farm. Provides USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) with the authority to research, develop, and modify insurance policies

• Miscellaneous: Advocacy and outreach, including: Socially disadvantaged, Veteran farmers and ranchers, Agricultural labor safety and workforce development, livestock health

Our membership organizations serve as the policy voice of Indiana’s farmers. Join forces with farmers across the state of Indiana to collectively advocate for better farm policy.