Discuss the provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. The Agricultural Act of 2014, commonly known as the 2014 farm bill, authorizes about $95 billion per year over the next decade. About $75 billion is actually for the Special Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps. Combining food stamp authorization with agricultural subsidies has been a way to get urban liberals to vote for the legislation.?The centerpiece of the farm bill was the abolition of direct payments for certain crops-payments made regardless of whether the recipient actually planted the crops in question. Most of the funds saved were transferred to a much-enlarged crop insurance program. Supporters claimed that the new bill would reduce federal expenditures. Critics, pointing to falling prices for corn, soybeans, and wheat, argued that it would in fact be more expensive.?A polarized Congress meant that the bill would be hard to pass-indeed, it was two years late. Special provisions, not requested by the Department of Agriculture, helped the bill along. A pilot program for industrial hemp production helped secure the support of members from Kentucky. Profit-margin insurance for catfish farmers helped sew up the Mississippi delegation. Newly insured products include biofuels, lamb, peanuts, poultry, sesame, sushi rice, and swine. Various GMO (genetically modified organism) crops now receive special insurance treatment. The bill included livestock disaster relief and funds to combat a disease called citrus greening in Florida.?Some provisions had little to do with agriculture or nutrition. The United States Environmental Protection Agency was prohibited from proceeding with a program against overfishing. Central State University in Ohio, a historically black college, received additional federal aid.