On January 29, 2014, H.R. 2642, the Agricultural Act of 2014, known as the Farm Bill Conference Report, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 251-166. I voted in favor of this legislation.

The Agricultural Act of 2014, which authorizes agriculture programs for five years, significantly reduces and reforms farm policy spending and food stamp expenditures, resulting in $23 billion dollars in taxpayer savings over 10 years.

Here are a few highlights of the Agricultural Act of 2014:

• Permanently authorizes vital tools to manage livestock production risk including the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and Emergency Assistance for Livestock producers

• Repeals direct payments and strengthens risk management tools

• Strengthens the crop insurance program

• Funds specialty crop industry priorities

• Reauthorizes the U.S. sugar policy at zero cost to the taxpayer

• Replaces outdated dairy programs with a new, voluntary, margin protection program

• Strengthens and consolidates conservation programs to save $6 billion over the next decade

• Makes significant reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program to address fraud and misuse while maintaining food assistance to families in need and reducing spending on food stamps by $8 billion over 10 years

"I am pleased that the Farm Bill contains significant reforms of the food stamp program and reduces its costs over the next five years," said Simpson. 

The bill also includes a number of provisions regarding management of public lands and natural resources. These include a one-year extension of full mandatory funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), which reimburses counties for the income lost because of the presence of federal land, and language preventing EPA from regulating forest roads under the Clean Water Act. 

 “I am particularly grateful that the Farm Bill includes two provisions I have been seeking for quite some time – extension of PILT payments and limits on the EPA’s regulation of forest roads,” said Simpson. “The Farm Bill provides Congress with additional time to find a permanent funding source for PILT and ensures that the EPA’s regulatory appetite is curbed when it comes to forest roads.”

The certainty a Farm Bill provides to Idaho's farmers and rural communities is critical to the economy across the state.

"Our ability to maintain a safe and domestic supply of food in the United States is tied directly to the policies put forth in the Farm Bill. People in our nation appreciate the complexities of maintaining a domestic supply of food, and we have to do everything we can to keep our food grown right here in the United States."