Farm Bill renewed for another year, crop insurance programs protected

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KSWO) - The 2018 farm bill that many Oklahoma farmers were waiting to see renewed has been extended for another year.

Lawmakers in Washington voted to keep the current farm bill which technically expired two months ago. Extending it means that SNAP benefits are safe for the time being. Crop insurance programs are also protected.

Lawmakers said it’s a solution, but more work needs to be done.

“The Farm bill we’re operating under is pretty good,” Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said. “It needs a few updates, particularly for reference prices, because we’re in a much higher cost environment. For producers than we were five years ago. But extending the farm bill for a year is going to give producers some predictability they need right now.”

With the current farm bill, about three quarters of the budget goes toward food assistance programs with 9% covering crop insurance, 7% covering commodities, and another 7% for conservation.

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