Small farms in the United States often feel that the Farm Bill, is not made for them. They say that the bill offers more support to certain commodity groups than others, and that the safety-net programs available to small farms are not always satisfactory.
Farmers feel that they often have a difficult time navigating the paperwork and bureaucracy associated with the Farm Bill, and that there is a shortage of local technical service providers who can help them apply for programs.
Also, the small farmers say that they are often passed over for popular Farm Bill environmental programs because they cannot afford to pay for conservation work upfront.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, says that the Farm Bill needs to work for small and medium-sized farms, and in some cases it already does. He points to the Local Agriculture Marketing Program and Dairy Margin Coverage as examples of programs that support small farms.
However, farmers say that more needs to be done to help small farms succeed. They are urging to reauthorize a Farm Bill program that supports research facilities, so that the United States can stay competitive in the global agricultural market.
Richard Roush, dean of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, says that the United States is falling behind China in agricultural research. In 2000, the United States spent $5 billion on public ag research, while China spent $2 billion. Fifteen years later, U.S. funding was flat, but China's had surged to $10 billion.
Roush says that the deferred maintenance for land-grant ag research facilities now stands at $11.5 billion, and that figure grew by a third from 2015 to 2020. He urges to reauthorize a Farm Bill program that supports research facilities, so that the United States can stay competitive in the global agricultural market.
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Categories: Pennsylvania, Business