Rural development in the farm bill: A research roundup
In the final installment of our three-part series, we look at what the research says about rural development programs in the farm bill, which expires in late September.
The Farm Bill
The farm bill is wide-ranging legislation that sets funding and directs priorities for a variety of federal food consumption and production programs in the U.S., including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.
Congress usually debates and renews the farm bill every five years. The first farm bill was passed in 1933, with 18 farm bills having been passed in all. The most recent farm bill passed as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 — meaning it was set to expire at the end September 2023, the end of the federal fiscal year.
Congress extended the current farm bill through September 2024, with funding for some elements potentially lasting through the end of the year. For example, federal legislators could appropriate SNAP funding absent the omnibus legislation covering all farm bill programs, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 also extended some environmental conservation programs traditionally in the farm bill through September 2031, according to the CRS.
Journalists will continue to cover the debate as legislators make the case for the next farm bill to include funding that supports the interests of their constituents, as well as lobbying and advocacy groups. To help guide that coverage, The Journalist’s Resource took a look at academic research on three major pillars of the farm bills: SNAP, environmental conservation and rural development.
The research featured in this miniseries can inform the questions that journalists at local, regional and national outlets ask of federal lawmakers.
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Environmental conservation in the farm bill: A research roundup
In this second of our three-part series, we look at environmental conservation programs that get billions of dollars in funding in the farm bill, which expires in late September.
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SNAP and the effectiveness of work requirements: A research roundup
In this first of a three-part series, we look at recent research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major component of the farm bill coming up for renewal in September.
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