2012 Farm Bill Funding Expected to be Much Lower

Texas Farm Bureau Texas Ag Daily

Major cuts are coming to agricultural funding, according to Joe Outlaw, an economist with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University. In a San Angelo Standard Times article, he said producers should expect to see a smaller farm safety net in the next round of legislation.

“What I hear in the halls of Congress is, ‘I understand the prices are good; agriculture doesn’t need any help’,” he said in the article. “My answer is: ‘Yeah, this year, but wait until next year.’ Every time we start depending on export markets, someone else’s needs change around the world and the next thing we know, our prices are down.”

In the article, Outlaw suggested that there would be less funding for agriculture programs in future farm bill talks, as well.

“No question, we’re going to have less money. The question is with what you have left. Do you want to leave it as it is or do you want a different type of safety net?” Outlaw noted.
Crop insurance for many Texas farmers has become vital. Drought years like this one leave many depending on insurance to pay operating loans and input costs.

“As we move forward, it is critical to producers across the country that the basic mission of crop insurance remain effectively intact; the private-public partnership remains vital to both the effectiveness and efficiency of Federal Crop Insurance,” US Rep. Mike Conaway, told an agriculture subcommittee.