Known as the "farm bill", the Farm Security and Rural Invesment Act of 2002 is the most recent incarnation of federal assistance to farmers. The act includes ten titles, addressing a great variety of issues related to agriculture, ecology, energy, and trade.

However, the vast majority (92%)^[1] of funding is directed toward commodity subsidies. These subsidies have a dramatic effect on the production of five grains in particular: corn, wheat, cotton, rice, and oilseed. The specialized nature of the farm bill, as well as the size and timing of the bill made it's passage highly contentious.

Debated in the House of Representatives during the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks in 2001, the bill drew criticism from the White House and was nearly amended. The amendment, which failed by a close margin, was proposed by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and would have shifted money away from grain subsidies to conservation measures. Public debate over the farm bill continued, and the Senate proposed sweeping amendments to the bill, leading to a series of meetings from February through April. As a result, the current farm bill was not passed until May 2002, after the 1996 farm bill had already expired, jeopardizing the financial security of many farmers. Ronald James Kind (born March 16, 1963) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ...

Passage of the Bill

Subsidy Expansion

• Rep. Larry Combest (R-TX) - brought initial house farm bill. (9/9/2001?)

• Rep. Terry Everett (R-AL) - drafted $3.5 billion peanut proposal (owns 400 acres of peanuts)

• Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) "farm bill not an environmental bill" (10/4) fears cuts to his state's corn growers

• Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) - SD stood to gain tremendously from increased subsidies, used Minority Leader position to fastlane the proposal

Larry E. Combest Larry Ed Combest (born March 20, 1945) is a Republican U.S. politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985-2003. ... Robert Terry Everett (born February 15, 1937), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 2nd Congressional District of Alabama. ... Gilbert William Gil Gutknecht, Jr. ... Thomas Andrew Daschle (born December 9, 1947), known as Tom Daschle, was a U.S. Senator from South Dakota and the Senate Majority Leader. ...

Conservation

• Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) - brought amendment to shift $19 billion from commodities to conservation (fails 10/4/2001, 226-200)

 -Healthy Farms and Forests Act of 2006 (first farm bill of the current cycle- forms foundation of the future farm bill) 

• Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) - co-sponsored Kind amendment Looked to Florida fruit and vegetable growers for support (they received no subsidies in 2001) "the inability to persuade more Florida members to vote yes was a key to its defeat." (10/5 St. Petersburg Times)

• Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-MD) - co-sponsored Kind amendment

• Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) - brought amendment to give $650 million to renewable energy (fails 10/3/2001)

• Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) - senior Dem on Senate Ag prepares conservation heavy version of House bill for Senate, floats ideas of "green" payments rewarding conservation methods

Ronald James Kind (born March 16, 1963) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... The first farm bill introduced in the current cycle. ... Rep. ... Wayne Thomas Gilchrest (born April 15, 1946) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 1st district of the State of Maryland since 1991. ... Leonard L. Boswell (born January 10, 1934) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 3rd District of Iowa (map). ... Thomas Richard Tom Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is the junior United States Senator from Iowa. ...

Subsidy Caps

• Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) - supported lowering subsidy caps from $500,000 to $225,000 "we don't want 10 percent of the farmers getting 60 percent of the farm bill." (1/17, Omaha World Herald) *Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) - cosponsor of subsidy cap amendment

• Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) - on the Ag. Comm "push the pedal to the medal and try to get something done this year" post-9/11 (Omaha Herald 9/27/01)

 10/24: rejects Veneman's request to delay farm bill- doubts her assurances that there will be funds "rather lock it in now" (World-Herald 10/24) Feb: Supported subsidy caps "I believe, along with most Nebraskans, that our farm program should discourage consolidation in agriculture ... These enormous payments do exactly the opposite." 

• Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) - opposed capping subsidies

• Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) - opposed capping subidies: "catastrophic for southern farm interests"

Charles Ernest Chuck Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is the senior United States Senator from Iowa. ... Earl Benjamin Ben Nelson (born May 17, 1941 in McCook, Nebraska) is an American politician from Nebraska, where he was born and has lived for most of his life. ... Blanche Lambert Lincoln (born September 30, 1960) is a Democratic United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. ... William Thad Cochran (born December 7, 1937) is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi. ...

Opposing Overproduction

• Sen. Richard Lugar (R-ID) - senior Republican, pre-9/11 co-sponsor, outraged that Farm Bill remains on agenda post-9/11 (Omaha Herald 9/27/01) says farm bill causes overproduction "we've got it coming out of our ears.

 1/21: Editorial: Overproduction of certain crops, 2002 bill will worsen the situation, waste money. Proposes 6 percent payment to cover premium on farm insurance instead of guaranteeing income. Lugar is a farmer with a modest-sized operation 

• Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) - opposed revised bill, will continue to subsidize overproduction

• Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)

Richard Green Dick Lugar (born April 4, 1932) is the senior United States Senator from Indiana. ... Charles Timothy Chuck Hagel (born October 4, 1946) is the senior United States Senator from Nebraska. ... Earl Pomeroy (born September 2, 1952) is an American lawyer and politican from the U.S. state of North Dakota. ...

Eggplant Caucus

20 Eastern Senators supporting conservation and specialty crops

• Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

• Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

• Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

• Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) -water rights amendment appeals to western ranchers (fails Feb 8)

Secretary of Agriculture Anne Veneman - 9/19/2001: report criticizing old policies and calling for a shift from subsidies to conservation Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ... Charles Ellis Chuck Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is the senior Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party. ... Harry Mason Reid (born December 2, 1939) is the senior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Democratic Party, for which he serves as Senate Minority Leader. ...

 9/27/2001: criticized initial bill as expensive in post-9/11 budget, suggested that subsidies lead to overproduction and expensive land (NYTIMES 9/27/01) 

Current Sec. of Agriculture Mike Johanns (former gov of Nebraska): opposed certain conservation measures as gov't interference in landowner's rights. Michael Owen Johanns (born June 18, 1950 in Osage, Iowa) is an American Republican politician. ...

 8/15/2001 Omaha Herald : "When you get right down to the basics," Johanns said, "what we need is predictability." 

White House Budget Office - 10/3: formal manifesto opposing the initial farm bill, calling it expensive and unresponsive to ag changes

Timeline

The House of Representatives (H.R.2646)

9/9/2001: $171 Billion, 10-year farm bill (with $73 billion in new spending)

9/11: World Trade Center destroyed by terrorists.

9/19: Secretary of Agriculture Anne Veneman criticizes traditional farm policy, calls for a shift from commodity subsidies to conservation measures

9/27: Secretary Veneman criticizes the new bill as expensive in post-9/11 budget, claims it will lead to overproduction and expensive land.

10/2: Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) introduces an amendment to shift $19 billion (approx. 15%) of commodity subsides to conservation measures. Ronald James Kind (born March 16, 1963) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ...

10/2: Rep. Larry Combest (R-TX), farm bill sponsor, threatens to pull the bill if it is amended. Larry E. Combest Larry Ed Combest (born March 20, 1945) is a Republican U.S. politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985-2003. ...

10/3: Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA), proposes shifting $650 million to ethanol, amendment fails. Leonard L. Boswell (born January 10, 1934) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 3rd District of Iowa (map). ...

10/4: Kind amendment falls 26 votes short, fails.

10/5: 10 year, $73 billion farm bill increase passes in the House of Representatives.

The Senate (S. 1731)

10/24: Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) reject Sec. Veneman's request that the Senate delay consideration of the farm bill to focus on war effort. Earl Benjamin Ben Nelson (born May 17, 1941 in McCook, Nebraska) is an American politician from Nebraska, where he was born and has lived for most of his life. ... Thomas Richard Tom Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is the junior United States Senator from Iowa. ...

12/14: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and his Eggplant Caucus add dramatic increases in conservation spending ($21.3 billion) Co-sponsors Nelson and Harkin have cut the House version in half (5 years, $45 billion in new spending) Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. ...

1/17/2002: Spurred by a website listing absentee landlords of huge farms, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) supports an amendment to cap subsidy payments at $225,000. Amendment passes, shifting $1.3 billion to programs for beginning farmers. Charles Ernest Chuck Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is the senior United States Senator from Iowa. ...

2/14: Senate passes 5 year, $45 billion farm bill increase 58:40.

Reconciling the Bills

3/19: After two weeks of closed door negotiations, House agrees to $17 billion for conservation.

4/19: House passes non-binding resolution capping subsidies at $275,000 per farm (a $50,000 increase from the Senate bill).

4/26: Final version agreed upon: $360,000 subsidy cap, $17.1 billion for conservation. Expected to cost a total of $190 billion over ten years, an increase of over $90 billion (expires in 2008, six years later)

5/13: The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 signed into law by President Bush.