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The First Farm Bill
The farm bill was started in 1933 as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation. The ultimate goal of the bill was to provide a balance between the supply and demand, making prices fair while also providing a decent means for the farmers themselves. -
The Great Depression
Most farmers were faced with a surplus of their crops due to The Great Depression. This caused the prices of crops to go dramatically down and a lot farmers had to sell their land. This was a big reason for the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) to be put in place. The government ended up paying farmers to limit their production, in turn driving prices of crops back up. -
Agricultural Act of 1949
This act is known as the "permanent legislation" of U.S. agricultural policy and is still in effect today. The purpose of the act is to provide assistance to the States in the establishment, operation, maintenance, and expansion of school-lunch programs with the surplus of crops from farmers. -
Section 416(b)
Section 416(b) of the 1949 Agricultural Act provides permanent legal basis by which surplus food can be donated to friendly overseas countries as development aid. This surplus food is purchased from the market by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) which is governmentally ran. Typical donated items; wheat, corn, flour, milk powder, lentils, peas, beans, rice, soy bean, tallow, vegetable oil, wood, and canned salmon when in season. -
Agricultural Act of 2014
This bill provides $956 billion in spending over the next ten years for nutrition and agriculture programs in the United States. The spending of the the money has been predicted to be broken down into:
Food Stamps and Nutrition: $756 Billion
Crop insurance: $89.8 Billion
Conservation: $56 Billion
Commodity programs: $44.4 Billion
Other: $8.2 Billion -
Nutrition: Title IV
Reauthorizes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Nation’s largest food and nutrition assistance program. Provides additional SNAP funding for enhanced employment and training activities, increased healthy food options, and expanded anti-fraud efforts.
