A former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says the delay in passing a new five-year farm bill has gone on too long.
“Historically, we’ve had farm bills every five years since the 1930s,” said Dan Glickman.
Glickman was the head of the USDA from 1995-2001 and tells Brownfield farmers and ranchers can’t afford to have continued short-term extensions of the 2018 Farm Bill.
“The failure to pass a farm bill over the last several years has been a dark mark on food and agriculture policy,” Glickman said.
The so-called “skinny” farm bill recently cleared the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. While Glickman acknowledges the legislation is expected to provide critical funding for conservation programs and agricultural research, he emphasizes that it should also increase support for initiatives aimed at addressing the hunger crisis.
“We need to also ensure we provide food assistance overseas as well,” he said. “The U.S. is the largest provider of food to the hungry and poor globally.”
The farm bill moved forward out of committee Wednesday night with a 34-17 vote, though it still faces an uncertain path through both the full House and Senate.
