CBO Releases Farm Bill Cost Projections

The Congressional Budget Office released cost projections for the Senate farm bill on October 29, estimating the legislation would cost $8 billion over five years. The agency projects the bill would add more than $4 billion to the federal deficit over a decade, with spending declining in later years. The bill would reauthorize crop insurance, research and trade promotion programs. Spending for those programs would require future congressional approval.

The release comes as lawmakers prepare to take up the farm bill after the midterm elections. Agricultural labor is also a concern heading into the next legislative session. Agricultural groups are urging Congress to pass the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act, a bipartisan measure that would expand H-2A access to year-round livestock and dairy operations, change wage rules and streamline applications.

Chanel Tewalt of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture said farm labor demand has not disappeared with mechanization. "People assume that because farmers have tractors, that there isn't as much labor needed on farm as there used to be. Certainly there have been labor innovations that have helped tremendously, but you still need folks to move water every day," Tewalt said. "You need people picking fruit. You need people milking cows." Tewalt added, "There are so many aspects of running a farm where you need bodies helping you."

The Congressional Budget Office is a nonpartisan agency that produces cost analyses for proposed legislation. The farm bill covers crop insurance, agricultural research and trade promotion programs. Lawmakers have not scheduled a floor vote on the legislation.