Combating Farm Bill Fatigue: Why Continuing to Engage Is So Important

For many groups working on the Farm Bill, this work has been a multi-year endeavor. With the year-long extension and now another likely extension, it can be hard to encourage internal stakeholders to continue to push for priority issues when there are so many other legislative needs that require attention. However, combating Farm Bill fatigue and continuing to engage in the process will pay dividends when the final bill moves forward. Here are a few recommendations for what to focus on:

Marker bills still matter. Whether through amendments to the committee-passed House version or as part of the baseline text of the Senate version, introducing bills – especially with bipartisan support – will indicate Member support for a policy to be included in the Farm Bill.

Report text is still on the table. Working with the House Agriculture Committee as they work through report language is an excellent place to show priorities and set the stage for future legislative action. The right language can impact how agencies administer new or existing programs or encourage both interagency and stakeholder engagement. 

Senate Farm Bill is still open for suggestions. While the majority of the language within each title has been written, there is still an opportunity to make the case to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee that your organization’s priorities should be included. This also means meeting with Senate offices that sit on the committee to put in requests for new language to be added into the draft legislative text.

Building momentum. The House and Senate are relying on external groups to put pressure on their congressional delegation, party leadership, and the White House to get the Farm Bill done this year. While there are multiple aspects outside of our control, this external momentum matters and will have an impact in showing the need for progress.

Ultimately, our advice is not to lose focus. While we are getting closer (hopefully) to a final Farm Bill, those that continue to engage will have a front seat to the last-minute decisions that could be crucial to your organization.