Next federal farm bill awaits ideas from Modesto area
It’s time to start sketching out the next federal farm bill, a five-year plan that affects producers and consumers of food.
A Feb. 7 meeting in Modesto will be part of the process. It is one of five hosted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to gather ideas that could be sent on to Congress.
The current bill, which expires next year, laid out $489 billion in spending. The largest piece went to nutrition aid, mainly the program formerly called Food Stamps. Other parts paid for research, export promotion, plant and animal health, conservation projects and crop insurance.
That legislation was a shift from past farm bills, which had a lot more money for Midwestern and Southern producers of corn, wheat, soybeans, rice and sugar. More cash went this time to fruits, vegetables and nuts – what California does best. Dairy farmers here did not get much help in their struggles with low milk prices and high feed costs, because that’s handled more at the state level.
The last farm bill also brought little things, such as classes on cooking and nutrition for middle-schoolers at the Modesto Certified Farmers Market. Another grant paid for research on the nutritional value of canned and frozen apricots, most of them grown in Stanislaus County. Still another compensated a few dairy farmers who delayed their feed crop harvest so as not to disturb the nests of tricolored blackbirds.
The last bill grew in a different political climate. It was signed by a Democratic president, Barack Obama, after a final vote by a Democratic Senate. Now both houses of Congress and the White House are in Republican hands. It remains to be seen what Donald Trump will do with the White House vegetable garden planted by Michelle Obama to promote healthy eating.
Karen Ross, secretary of food and agriculture for California, is holding the Modesto meeting and others in Chico, Salinas, Tulare and Los Angeles.
John Holland: 209-578-2385
At a glance
What: Meeting on ideas for the next federal farm bill
When: Feb. 7, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: DoubleTree Hotel, Napa Room, 1150 Ninth St., Modesto
Comments can also be emailed to FarmBill@cdfa.ca.gov.
This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Next federal farm bill awaits ideas from Modesto area."