Washington, D.C. (December 11, 2018)–“The 2018 farm bill process has entered the home stretch with the filing of the conference report last night. Getting to this point would have been impossible without the leadership and hard work of Senators Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow and Representatives Mike Conaway and Collin Peterson. In a time of continued low commodity prices and disruptions in overseas markets, they recognized that America’s farmers and ranchers need the certainty of a new farm bill before the new year. We urge the full House and Senate to meet that goal by passing the conference report as soon as possible.
“The farm bill conference report will ensure a safety net for producers, maintain the strength of the federal crop insurance program and fund important priorities in conservation, rural development, trade promotion and nutrition.
“In addition, the bill contains language strengthening the Buy American provisions of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. This portion of the bill is needed since numerous investigations have found a troubling amount of foreign-sourced food products, particularly from China, served through the school feeding programs even when American food products are readily available and competitively priced. These provisions will help to ensure that taxpayer money is used in the way that Congress intended.”
About NCFC
Since 1929, NCFC has been the voice of America’s farmer cooperatives. Our members are regional and national farmer cooperatives, which are in turn composed of nearly 3,000 local farmer cooperatives across the country. NCFC members also include 26 state and regional councils of cooperatives. Farmer cooperatives allow individual farmers the ability to own and lead organizations that are essential for continued competitiveness in both the domestic and international markets.
America’s farmer-owned cooperatives provide a comprehensive array of services for their members. These diverse organizations handle, process and market virtually every type of agricultural commodity. They also provide farmers with access to infrastructure necessary to manufacture, distribute and sell a variety of farm inputs. Additionally, they provide credit and related financial services, including export financing.
