HR-8467 : Still Just a Bill

The "Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024" (H.R. 8467), if enacted, would reform and continue agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2029. Key provisions include:

• Commodities: Adjusts reference prices for commodities and allows a one-time opportunity to add base acres. It also modifies loan rates for various commodities like sugar, cotton, and rice.
• Dairy: Updates dairy margin coverage production history and premiums. Mandates reporting of dairy product processing costs.
• Disaster Assistance: Modifies livestock indemnity payment rates and provides emergency assistance for honeybees.
• Conservation: Reauthorizes and modifies conservation programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program. It also addresses feral swine eradication and forest conservation.
• Trade: Focuses on food aid quality and agricultural trade promotion. It includes measures to preserve foreign markets for goods using common names.
• Nutrition: Addresses supplemental nutrition assistance program policies, commodity distribution, and miscellaneous nutrition programs.
• Credit: Modifies farm ownership, operating, and emergency loan programs. It also includes provisions related to the Export Finance Authority and support for rural water and waste systems.
• Rural Development: Improves health outcomes in rural areas and connects rural Americans to high-speed broadband.
• Research, Extension, and Related Matters: Addresses national agricultural research, extension, education, and economics. It also includes provisions for veterinary medicine loan repayment and research equipment grants.
• Forestry: Supports State assessments for forest resources, promotes cross-boundary wildfire mitigation, and enhances forest management activities.
• Energy: Modifies the definition of advanced biofuel and reauthorizes bioenergy programs.
• Horticulture, Marketing, and Regulatory Reform: Focuses on plant pest and disease management, specialty crop block grants, and marketing orders. It also addresses regulatory reform related to pesticides and biotechnology.
• Crop Insurance: Reauthorizes crop insurance programs and provides support for beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers.
• Miscellaneous Provisions: Includes provisions related to livestock, national security, and other miscellaneous issues.