WASHINGTON — Editor’s note: Agricultural organizations are largely pleased with elements included in the proposed 2023 omnibus bill package. The package has a Friday midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown. Statements from the American Farm Bureau Federation, Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, American Soybean Association, and National Milk Producers Federation are included below.
American Farm Bureau Federation
AFBF Comments on Incorporation of Sustainability Support and Disaster Aid in 2023 Omnibus
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the unveiling of the 2023 omnibus bill, which contains several pieces of legislation that will help farmers and ranchers meet sustainability goals.
“AFBF commends lawmakers for including several important pieces of legislation in the 2023 omnibus bill to support the role farmers and ranchers play in sustainability and recognize the hardships caused by natural disasters.
“The revised versions of the Growing Climate Solutions Act and the SUSTAINS Act will help farmers work with USDA on climate-smart practices for voluntary, market-driven programs. Additionally, reauthorizing the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act will ensure a framework remains in place allowing farmers to continue growing healthy crops while using fewer natural resources.
“Much needed disaster relief is also included and will provide important aid to farmers whose crops and livestock have been devastated by severe weather including drought, wildfires and hurricanes.
“Farm Bureau stands ready to continue working with both parties on the many other critical issues facing farm and ranch families.”
Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance
FACA Applauds Inclusion of Critical Climate Legislation in FY23 Omnibus
The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) commends the inclusion of the Growing Climate Solutions Act and SUSTAINS Act, two critical pieces of legislation that will support the agriculture and forestry sectors’ work to advance climate solutions, in the FY23 omnibus appropriations legislation.
FACA sincerely appreciates the work of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR), House Agriculture Chairman David Scott (D-GA), and Ranking Member GT Thompson (R-PA) along with Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) for their efforts to reach a bipartisan agreement on both pieces of legislation.
The Growing Climate Solutions Act is a critical step forward to accelerate voluntary carbon markets. The bill will ensure producers looking to explore these voluntary opportunities are met with resources at USDA. The SUSTAINS Act will facilitate private sector contributions to further support and bolster USDA conservation programs.
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill Advances
Bipartisan Spending Package Provides Stability for FY2023, Includes Several Key Increases for Sustainable Farm and Food Systems
Yesterday, Congress released a $1.7 trillion year-end bipartisan spending package. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 consists of all 12 fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations bills. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is encouraged to see Congress taking steps to avoid a continuing resolution with concrete progress toward a bipartisan FY2023 spending bill.
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is encouraged to see Congress make concrete progress toward a bipartisan FY2023 spending bill that would provide much needed stability. The bill includes several key funding increases, though by and large maintains level funding for many programs. In the days ahead, we’re hopeful that Congress will send this bill to the President’s desk as it increasingly turns its attention to the 118th Congress and farm bill reauthorization” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Interim Policy Director.
The fiscal year 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill provides discretionary funding of $25.5 billion, an increase of $737 million or 3 percent above fiscal year 2022. The bill includes $242 billion for discretionary programs funded annually and mandatory programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
NSAC is pleased to see the inclusion of increased investments for two key programs – a $5 million increase for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE), and a more than $40 million increase for Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA). SARE is the nation’s only farmer-driven research program and has been a center of innovation in research and agriculture for over thirty years.
Beyond these, many other NSAC priorities would receive level funding in FY2023. The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI), which is authorized at $60 million and funded through CTA, received flat funding at $14 million. Within GLCI, it is nonetheless positive to see a full $12 million for grants to partners. Separately, the USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture, which is authorized at $25 million, also received flat funding at $8.5 million, despite both the President’s budget and the House bill including a respective $4.5 and 5 million increase.
Within the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), the bill includes $16 million for Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG), including $13 million for grants and another $3 million for agricultural innovation centers, but unfortunately there is no additional funding allocated for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs, or the Regional Food System Partnerships. The Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) was maintained at $10 million, while funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) was cut from $5 million down to $3 million. Both House and Senate appropriations bills contained $5 million for HFFI, making this cut both surprising and disappointing.
NSAC welcomes expanded support for the Farm to School Grant program, which will see a $2 million increase to $14 million. More broadly, there is $28.5 billion in funding for child nutrition programs, an increase of $1.66 billion above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level. There is also $40 million for a permanent summer EBT program, which is unfortunately offset by reductions to supplemental food assistance.
Finally, the bill includes slightly altered versions of the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which authorizes USDA to establish a voluntary program related to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners’ participation in environmental credit markets, and the SUSTAINS Act, which would establish public-private partnership contribution accounts for certain NRCS conservation programs.
“NSAC supports a range of policies and programs that can ensure farmers and ranchers have the tools and resources they need to meet the climate crisis, yet believes that there is no replacement for increased public investment in NRCS conservation programs as one of the most essential components of bolstering agriculture’s contributions in the fight against climate change while supporting the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers,” noted Lavender.
With the 2023 reauthorization of the farm bill around the corner, NSAC strongly encourages Congress to prioritize increased investments and strengthening improvements to time-tested conservation programs, as outlined in our 2023 Farm Bill Platform.
For more detailed information about the FY2023 Appropriations visit NSAC’s Agriculture Appropriations Chart.
American Soybean Association
Tidings of Joy for Soy from Several Omnibus Provisions
Santa is not the only one who pitter patters overnight in December; Congress was at work in the wee morning hours of Dec. 20, hammering out an omnibus appropriations bill that, if passed by the Friday midnight deadline, will keep the government funded through Sept. 2023 and support selected programs. Just as jolly ol’ St. Nick is known to deliver much-anticipated packages, Congress too has delivered a package that includes several provisions pleasing to soy growers.
The omnibus package includes a revised Growing Climate Solutions Act—the bipartisan bill that first cleared the Senate back in June 2021. ASA has supported that legislation, which establishes a USDA technical assistance and registration program to assist producers and forest owners seeking to take part in voluntary carbon markets.
“We are happy to see the Growing Climate Solutions Act get some air in the omnibus,” said ASA president and Illinois soybean farmer Daryl Cates, who explained, “The premise of Growing Climate Solutions is farmers can voluntarily adopt practices—like cover crops or no till—that pull carbon from the atmosphere and store, or ‘sequester,’ it in the soil. This, in turn, helps supply chain partners, private companies, and even governments shrink their carbon footprints. We appreciate Congress supporting USDA with authority to help interested farmers engage with private markets designed to reduce the rate of climate change caused by high carbon emissions.”
Connected to Growing Climate Solutions is the Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act, or SUSTAINS Act. SUSTAINS encourages private sector partnerships for agriculture sustainability by allowing businesses to invest in conservation practices in geographic regions of their choice—and allows USDA to match those funds.
Other omnibus provisions with which soy is pleased:
• Pesticides: Reauthorization of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, or PRIA, which imposes fees for maintenance and registration of active ingredients. PRIA would boost registration and maintenance fees 30% in 2023 and allow EPA to raise fees 5% in 2024 and 2026. It would require EPA to perform a workforce assessment of the Office of Pesticide Programs. The bill also extends the re-registration deadline for certain chemistries and incorporates a requirement that EPA consult with the Secretary of Agriculture when conducting essential pesticide registration reviews.
• Army Corps Emergency Funding: $1.48 billion is included on top of annual appropriations funding for the Army Corps of Engineers to make necessary emergency repairs and navigation improvements needed after extreme weather events, including the ongoing low-water event on the Mississippi River.
• Agricultural Disaster Aid: $3.7 billion is earmarked for disaster aid for losses of “revenue, quality or production losses of crops” in 2023. USDA would get an additional $27 million for the Emergency Forest Reserve Program and $925 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
• Agricultural research: Ag research funding would increase by $175 million to $3.45 billion in 2023, including monies for Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.
• Rural Development: USDA’s ReConnect loan and grant program for rural broadband would get $348 million for fiscal 2023.
ASA continues to review the full document.
National Milk Producers Federation
NMPF Lauds Bipartisan Ag Climate Measures in Appropriations Package
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today commended Congress for including the Growing Climate Solutions Act and the SUSTAINS Act in its final fiscal year 2023 budget package. These measures will help dairy farmers seek additional sustainability opportunities as they work to fulfill the dairy sector’s voluntary, producer-led goal of becoming greenhouse gas neutral or better by 2050.
“Environmental markets and conservation programs have the potential to meaningfully assist dairy producers as they work to meet their 2050 environmental stewardship goals,” said NMPF president and CEO Jim Mulhern. “The Growing Climate Solutions Act and the SUSTAINS Act will strengthen these important tools.”
The Growing Climate Solutions Act, authored by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, and Senator Mike Braun, R-IN, passed the Senate last June on a bipartisan vote of 92-8. The legislation would enable USDA to register technical service providers that help farmers implement stewardship practices that can generate credits on environmental markets. In turn, producers will be better positioned to participate in these important markets. Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-VA, and Don Bacon, R-NE, have introduced companion legislation in the House.
The SUSTAINS Act, authored by House Agriculture Committee Chairman-elect Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-PA, passed the House Agriculture Committee in May on a bipartisan voice vote. The measure would allow private sector funds to supplement existing funding for farm bill conservation programs, which are continuously oversubscribed. The bill is an innovative approach to boosting funding for USDA conservation programs, which provide important technical assistance to dairy farmers for a variety of stewardship practices.
In addition to the sponsors of both bills, committee leaders Rep. David Scott, D-GA, and Sen. John Boozman, R-AR, also played important roles in finalizing the bipartisan package.
“We commend the leaders of the Agriculture Committees – Senators Debbie Stabenow and John Boozman and Reps. David Scott and GT Thompson – for working together to fashion this bipartisan agreement on agricultural climate legislation,” Mulhern said. “We look forward to working with them and their colleagues to build on this progress in the new year.”
