Order Code RL34154
Possible Expiration of the 2002 Farm Bill
Updated January 29, 2008
Jasper Womach
Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division

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Possible Expiration of the 2002 Farm Bill
Summary
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-171, the 2002
farm bill) authorizes an array of farm commodity support, conservation, and nutrition
programs. Many provisions of the 2002 farm bill were scheduled to expire in 2007.
However, the farm commodity support provisions expire with the 2007 crop. Hence,
participating farmers continue to receive payments on their 2007 crop beyond the end
of fiscal or calendar year 2007. If a new farm bill is not enacted in time for the 2008
harvest, permanent law will take effect. Under permanent law, eligible commodities
would be supported at levels much higher than they are now, but many of the
currently supported commodities would not be eligible (including soybeans and
peanuts). Permanent law is so radically different from current policy and inconsistent
with today’s farming, marketing, and trade practices, as well as costly to the federal
government, that Congress is unlikely to let it take effect.

For most of the other farm bill programs that were in effect on September 30,
2007, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) extended their
authority until March 15, 2008. The duration of the extension is expected to be
sufficient for conference negotiations to resolve differences between the House- and
Senate-passed farm bills (H.R. 2419). The dairy, sugar, and wool and mohair
programs also are extended until March 15.
Programs that are not extended include the direct, counter-cyclical, and
marketing loan programs for the 2008 crop year for all other commodities, peanut
storage payments, community food projects authorized under the Food Stamp Act,
the rural broadband program, value-added market development grants, federal
procurement of biobased products, the biodiesel fuel education program, and the
renewable energy systems program.
Most of the long-standing USDA conservation programs are permanently
authorized and received an appropriation for FY2008 in P.L. 110-161. Other
conservation programs that pay farmers to remove fragile cropland from production
are authorized and received mandatory funding from the 2002 farm bill. Many of
these programs expired on September 30, 2007, but were extended until March 15,
2008, by P.L. 110-161. Three conservation programs are funded at specific levels
through March 15, 2008 — the Farmland Protection Program, the Ground and
Surface Water Conservation Program, and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.
Two conservation programs that pay farmers for adopting resource stewardship
practices (the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation
Security Program) were extended beyond FY2007 by the Deficit Reduction Act of
2005 (P.L. 109-171).
The domestic food and nutrition programs administered by the USDA are
permanently authorized and their funding would not be affected by the possible
expiration of the 2002 farm bill — since these programs received an appropriation
for FY2008 in P.L. 110-161. They include, for example, food stamps, child nutrition
programs, and the WIC program.

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Contents
Commodity Support Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Possible Reversion to Permanent Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Conservation Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Nutrition Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rural Development Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Historical Farm Bill Chronology of Major Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1973 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1977 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1981 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1985 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1990 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1996 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2002 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
List of Tables
Table 1. Average Prices Received and Parity Prices for Farm Products,
and Support Provisions Under Permanent Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 2. Conservation Program Authorization and Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Possible Expiration of the 2002 Farm Bill
What are the consequences of Congress not having enacted a new farm bill
before the end of fiscal year 2007, the commonly reported expiration date of many
of the provisions of the 2002 farm bill? What might happen if a new farm bill is not
enacted in early 2008? Would programs authorized by the expiring legislation cease
to operate, or would they continue under non-expiring provisions of permanent law?
Where there is permanent law, would the design and funding change?
The 2002 omnibus farm bill (P.L. 107-171) includes a wide range of program
authorities, some of which are mandatory and others discretionary. Mandatory, in
this context, means that the authority to spend necessary funds is provided by statute.1
This mandatory category includes the commodity support programs, export
programs, some conservation programs, and food stamps.2 Discretionary programs
are authorized, but annual funding is subject to congressionally approved
appropriations. Discretionary programs in the farm bill include some conservation
programs, federal farm loan programs, rural development programs, agricultural
research, and foreign food aid, among others.
In nearly all cases, a farm bill supersedes permanent authorizing law for a period
of four to six years. The farm bill is important because it may substantially change
program design from what is in the permanent law, as is the case with commodity
support programs. Typically, with regard to appropriated programs, the farm bill sets
upper limits on program activity levels and appropriations authority.
Without an extension, most appropriated programs (also referred to as
discretionary programs) in the 2002 farm bill and some mandatory programs, such
as food stamps, would face the prospect of not having statutory authority for the
appropriations committees to provide funding in FY2008 and subsequent years. The
lack of authority to appropriate funds for authorized programs (and even for some
programs not authorized) has not been a barrier for appropriations in past Congresses.
Fiscal year 2007 came to a close on September 30, 2007, without either a new
farm bill or an FY2008 appropriations act. Hence, Congress adopted several
continuing resolutions (P.L. 110-92, P.L. 110-116, P.L. 110-137, and P.L. 110-149)
last fall that provided stopgap funding for most non-defense spending until annual
FY2008 appropriations bills were enacted. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2008 (P.L. 110-161), signed into law on December 26, 2007, provides funding for
non-defense discretionary spending (including USDA) for all of FY2008. It also
1 In this context the word mandatory does not relate to participation in the programs. In all
cases, program participation is voluntary.
2 Crop insurance is an important farm program, with mandatory funding, that does not
depend on periodic renewal through farm bills because it is authorized by its own permanent
law.

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extends the authority for many expiring programs until March 15, 2008. The
duration of the extension is expected to be sufficient for conference negotiations to
resolve differences between the House- and Senate-passed farm bills (H.R. 2419).
Commodity Support Programs3
The mandatory commodity support programs authorized in the 2002 farm bill
cover the 2007 crops. So, all subsidy obligations related to 2007 crop production are
covered by the law, even if spending occurs in FY2008. For commodity support
programs, there was little reason to enact a farm bill before the end of calendar year
2007. In fact, past farm bills generally have been enacted late in the year, after the
end of the fiscal year. The 1981 and 1985 farm bills were enacted in late December,
and the 1990 farm bill was enacted in late November. What was expected to be the
1995 farm bill was not enacted until April 4, 1996, the most extreme case of belated
action. Even in that case payments were made on the 1995 crops and farmers went
ahead with planting operations for their 1996 crops.4
Policy officials and the agriculture community expected a 2007 farm bill to be
enacted before the end of calendar year 2007. However, lack of new commodity
support legislation before harvest in 2008 does little harm other than leaving
producers of “covered commodities” uncertain about the size of payments they might
receive.5 This uncertainty about future policy could affect some farmers’ ability to
acquire production loans from commercial lenders. Even if Congress deems a
temporary extension necessary for the commodity support programs beyond the 2007
crop year, that action likely could wait until early spring 2008.6
Possible Reversion to Permanent Law. If Congress takes no additional
action on commodity support before the beginning of the 2008 harvest, then the non-
expiring provisions of primarily the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1938 and the
Agriculture Act of 1949 take effect. Provisions of these permanent laws are
3 This section on commodity support programs was prepared with assistance from Jennifer
Staman, Legal Analyst, CRS.
4 The situation surrounding delayed enactment of a 1995 farm bill until 1996 was
complicated by several factors. First, some support provisions for some commodities had
been extended through 1997 by budget savings action taken in the Agricultural
Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66, Sections 1101-1111). Second, a 1995 farm bill
was included in a large budget reconciliation package (H.R. 2491) that was vetoed on
December 6, 1995, by President Clinton.
5 Under the 2002 farm bill, farmers receiving direct payments have the option of receiving
them in the calendar year prior to the applicable crop year. This provision allows farmers
to possibly achieve tax savings. The delay of the farm bill until 2008 precludes the
possibility of farmers receiving 2008 direct payments in calendar 2007.
6 Milk is a commodity that required attention before the end of 2007, because the dairy price
support program was scheduled to expire on December 31, 2007. The Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) temporarily extended program authority until
March 15, 2008. Without an extension, program authority would have reverted to
permanent law, whereby the government would have been obligated to purchase surplus
cheese, nonfat dry milk, and butter at prices substantially higher than current support prices.

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temporarily superseded by each farm bill. So, absent any amendments before the
2008 harvest, the permanent authority will apply. However, the commodity support
provisions of the permanent law are so radically different from current policy and
inconsistent with today’s farming, marketing, and trade practices, as well as costly
to the federal government, that Congress is unlikely to let permanent law take effect.
Permanent law provides mandatory support for basic crops through nonrecourse
loans, but without the option of settling the loan obligations at posted county prices
or receiving loan deficiency payments. The only settlement options would be
forfeiture of the commodities used as loan collateral or full repayment of the loans.
Permanent law does not authorize counter-cyclical payments or decoupled direct
payments. Also, nonrecourse loan rates could be as high as 90% of parity but not less
than 50% of parity for corn, wheat, and rice, and 65% of parity for cotton.7 Acreage
allotments and marketing quotas could be implemented for wheat and cotton. Milk
support would be between 75% and 90% of parity. Support for soybeans, other
oilseeds, and peanuts would not be mandatory. Other commodities now receiving
mandatory support but not identified in permanent law are: sugar beets, sugar cane,
honey, wool, mohair, small chickpeas, dry peas, and lentils.
For wheat and cotton, permanent law requires the Secretary of Agriculture to
announce acreage allotments and marketing quotas during the prior crop year, and to
hold producer referenda on whether to implement marketing quotas. A two-thirds
or more affirmative producer vote for marketing quotas results in the highest levels
of support, but also mandatory restrictions on planted acreage and therefore on the
quantity eligible for support. For purposes of this analysis, it is assumed the
Secretary does not have time to announce marketing quotas and to conduct the
producer referenda. Therefore, the only option may be to announce acreage
allotments without marketing quotas prior to the 2008 harvest.8 Table 1 summarizes
the support estimates based on these assumptions.
As shown in Table 1, not all commodities currently receiving federal support
would be covered by mandatory provisions in permanent law. The commodities
losing mandatory support include peanuts, honey, wool, mohair, sugar beats and
sugar cane, soybeans and other oilseeds, dry peas, lentils, and small chick peas. Any
and all of these commodities could receive support under discretionary authority
given the Secretary of Agriculture in the Agriculture Act of 1949 and the CCC
Charter Act. For budgetary and other reasons, that discretionary authority has been
seldom used and is unlikely to be applied in 2008. Important to this supposition is
7 Parity is a formula that gives a unit of the commodity the same purchasing power it had in
the 1910-1914 time period. For example, the November 2007 average farm price for wheat
was reported by USDA at $7.92/bu. (71% of its $11.10 parity price). Similarly, the average
farm price for upland cotton of $0.540/lb. was 26% of parity; and the average farm price for
manufacturing grade milk of $20.20/cwt. (a near record high) was 54% of parity. (Prices
received by farmers and parity prices are reported monthly by the USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service report, Agricultural Prices.)
8 In fact, USDA issued press releases on April 5, 2007 (FSA News Release No. 1439.07),
and September 25, 2007 (FSA News Release No. 1526.07), stating there would be no
national acreage allotments or marketing quotas for, respectively, crop year 2008 wheat and
cotton under the 1938 Act.

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the fact that, with few exceptions, market prices for agricultural commodities are
high and there would be little economic justification for federal support to be
implemented.
Table 1. Average Prices Received and Parity Prices for Farm Products,
and Support Provisions Under Permanent Law
Commodity
Farm
Parity
Farm
Minimum Support Provisions Under
Minimum
and Unit
Market
Price, Dec
Price as
Permanent Law (Agricultural Adjustment
Loan /
Price, Dec
2007b
% of
Act of 1938 and Agricultural Act of 1949)c
Purchase
2007a
Parity,
Price Under
Dec 2007
Permanent
Law
Basic Commodities
Wheat, Bu
$9.41
$11.20
84% Nonrecourse loans and direct purchases.
75% parity =
Acreage allotments.
$8.40
Quotas approved, loan rate = 65%-90% parity.
Quotas not approved, loan rate = 50% parity.
Quotas not announced, loan rate = 75%-90% of
parity.
Rice, Cwt
$10.90
$30.30
36% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 104-127
50% parity =
(1981 farm bill), Sec 601, but restored by P.L.
$15.15
104-127 (1996 farm bill), Sec. 171(b).
Loan rate = 50%-90% of parity.
Corn, Bu
$3.88
$8.31
47% Nonrecourse loans and direct purchases.
50% parity =
Acreage allotments are not authorized.
$4.16
Loan rate = 50%-90% of parity.
Sorghum, Bu
$6.90
$7.95
49% Support set in relation to feed value (TDN)
$3.95
compared to corn (sorghum =95%, barley=90%,
Barley, Bu
$4.81
$7.83
61% oats=90%), and adjusted for differing bushel
$3.20
weights. Sorghum loan = 95% of corn loan,
Oats, Bu
$2.71
$4.65
58% barley loan = 77% of corn, oats = 51% of corn.
$2.12
Cotton,
$0.572
$2.12
27% Nonrecourse loans and direct purchases.
$1.38
Upland, Lb
Acreage allotments.
Quotas approve, loan rate = 65%-90% parity.
Quotas not approved, loan rate = 50% parity
Quotas not announced, loan rate = 65%-90%
parity.
Peanuts, Lb
$0.209
$0.671
33% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 107-171
none
(1996 farm bill), Title I, Subtitle C.
Designated Nonbasic Commodities
Milk, Mfg, Cwt
$20.50
$37.60
54% Purchases of milk and butterfat products at
75% parity =
75%-90% of parity.
$28.20
Direct payments under Milk Income Loss
none
Contracts (MILC)
Honey, Lb
$1.04
$2.66
39% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 104-127
none
(Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform
Act of 1996).
Wool, Lb
$0.68
$1.77
38% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 103-130.
none
Mohair, Lb
$2.78
$7.77
36% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 103-130.
none
Other Nonbasic Commodities
Sugar, Refined
na
na
Tariff rate quotas continue under authority of
none
Beet
chapter 17 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of
the United States, Additional Note 5.
Sugar, Raw
na
na
none
Cane

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Commodity
Farm
Parity
Farm
Minimum Support Provisions Under
Minimum
and Unit
Market
Price, Dec
Price as
Permanent Law (Agricultural Adjustment
Loan /
Price, Dec
2007b
% of
Act of 1938 and Agricultural Act of 1949)c
Purchase
2007a
Parity,
Price Under
Dec 2007
Permanent
Law
Soybeans, Bu
$10.40
$18.40
57%
none
Sunflower
$20.00
$35.90
56%
none
Seed, Cwt
Rapeseed, Cwt
$14.90
$34.40
43%
none
Canola, Cwt
$20.80
$29.60
70% Permanent law includes no mandatory support
none
for these other nonbasic commodities.
Safflower, Cwt
$13.50
$39.80
34% However, Sec. 301 of the Agricultural Act of
none
1949, and in the Commodity Credit Corporation
Flaxseed, Bu
$13.20
$18.20
73%
none
Charter Act give discretionary authority to the
Mustard Seed,
$13.70
$41.50
33% Secretary of Agriculture to “make available
none
Cwt
through loans, purchases, or other operations
price support to producers for any nonbasic
Crambe
na
na
na
none
agricultural commodity ... [not otherwise
Sesame Seed
na
na
na designated for mandatory support]....”
none
Chickpeas,
$14.90
na
na
none
Small, Cwt
Peas, Dry, Cwt
$15.30
na
na
none
Lentils, Cwt
$26.20
na
na
none
a. Average December 2007 prices received by farmers as reported by USDA, NASS. December prices not
available for all commodities, so marketing year 2005 is used for wool; 2006 prices are used for honey,
mohair, rapeseed, safflower, and mustard seed; and small chickpeas.
b. Reported by USDA, NASS, Agricultural Prices, December 2007. Parity prices are computed under the
provisions of Title III, Subtitle a, Section 301 (a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 as amended
by the Agricultural Acts of 1948, 1949, and 1956.
c. An explanation of permanent law is provided by USDA, ERS, Possible Economic Consequences of Reverting
to Permanent Legislation or Eliminating Price and Income Support, AER 526, January 1985. For purposes
of this table it is assumed permanent law is implemented without time to hold producer referenda on national
quotas and so mandatory support would be implemented without marketing quotas.
Milk is supported currently and in permanent law through the offer of USDA
to purchase manufactured dairy products (nonfat dry milk, cheddar cheese, and
butter) at prices equivalent to the mandated support price for manufacturing grade
milk. Under permanent law those purchase prices (based on July 2007 data) would
be about three times as high a currently mandated and nearly 50% higher than market
prices. Such high USDA purchase prices could result in the government outbidding
commercial markets for a sizeable share of processor output. Under the 2002 farm
bill, permanent law would have taken effect on January 1, 2008. However, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) extended the dairy price
support program through March 15, 2008.
Under permanent law, nonrecourse loan rates for wheat, corn, and other feed
grains, and cotton function as USDA purchase prices. Unless commercial markets
pay more than the nonrecourse loan prices, farmers simply put their crops under loan
and forfeit the commodities to USDA when the nine-month loans come due. Thus
loan prices effectively are government purchase prices. When market prices are
lower than the nonrecourse loan rates commercial buyers have to raise their prices
to outbid the USDA to acquire wheat, feed grains, and cotton. These crop subsidy
programs were not extended beyond the 2007 crop year by P.L. 110-161.

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Conservation Programs9
Many of the USDA conservation programs administered by the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) deal with evaluating the causes and severity
of resource problems, developing physical and management systems to address the
problems, and providing technical and financial assistance to farmers implementing
preventive and remedial practices. The cost of these programs largely relates to
agency personnel who provide specialized technical training, cost-sharing with
farmers, and administrative overhead. Most of these programs are permanently
authorized and current law instructs the appropriations committees to provide such
sums as necessary to meet program needs. Thus, there is no constraint on
appropriators in future years. As with most appropriated (discretionary) programs,
funding depends heavily on budget requests from the administering executive agency.
So, the future of these programs, short of a change in the permanent authorizing law,
largely is in the hands of the appropriators. These programs are listed at the top of
Table 2.
The Food Security Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-198) and subsequent amendments have
become the legal foundation for another set of programs that now account for almost
80% of USDA conservation spending and dramatically changed the use of a sizable
share of the nation’s cropland. Most of these programs are administered by NRCS,
while the largest (the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)) is administered by
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), with support from NRCS. The original
authorizing legislation expired in 1990, but has been extended and amended by
periodic farm bills. Many of these programs were last extended by the 2002 farm bill
and most of the programs expired September 30, 2007. However, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) extended these programs to March 15,
2008. Expiration likely would have meant that no new contracts could be signed
with farmers. All existing contracts have stayed in force for their specified lives, and
payments continue to be made on the existing contracts. Three mandatory
conservation programs are funded at specific levels by P.L. 110-161 through March
15, 2008 — the Farmland Protection Program ($97 million), the Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program ($85 million), and the Ground and Surface Water Conservation
Program ($60 million). The mandatory conservation programs are listed in the
bottom half of Table 2, with their current expiration dates.
Nutrition Programs10
Programs covered by the nutrition title present a set of expiration issues that
differ from those posed by programs in other farm bill titles. The regular Food
Stamp program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), the
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and fresh fruit and vegetable
projects are authorized in permanent law. Funding for these programs will continue
through September 30, 2008, under appropriations provided by the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) .
9 This section on conservation programs was prepared with assistance from Jeff Zinn,
Specialist in Natural Resources Policy, CRS.
10 This section on nutrition programs was prepared with assistance from Joe Richardson,
Specialist in Domestic Social Policy, CRS.

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Table 2. Conservation Program Authorization and Funding
Permanently Authorized and Funded with Annual Appropriationsa
Expiration of
Program
Appropriations Authority
Conservation Technical Assistance
No expiration date (n.e.d.)
Soil Surveys
(n.e.d.)
Watershed Planning and Surveys
(n.e.d.)
Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations
(n.e.d.)
Watershed Rehabilitation Program
March 15, 2008c
Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)
(n.e.d.)
Agricultural Management Assistance Program
(n.e.d.)
Emergency Watershed Program
(n.e.d.)
Emergency Conservation Program
(n.e.d.)
Programs with Mandatory Fundingb
Expiration of
Program
Program Authority
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
March 15, 2008c
Farmland Protection Program (FPP)
March 15, 2008c
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)
March 15, 2008c
Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
March 15, 2008c
Ground and Surface Water Program
March 15, 2008c
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
March 15, 2008c
Watershed Rehabilitation Program
March 15, 2008c
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Sept. 30, 2010d
Conservation Security Program (CSP)
Sept. 30, 2011d
Agricultural Management Assistance
(n.e.d.)
a. With the exception of the Watershed Rehabilitation Program (authorized at $85 million in
FY2007), these programs all are authorized to indefinitely receive appropriations of such sums
as necessary.
b. With one exception, these programs were initially authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985
(P.L. 99-198), or amendments to that act. The Watershed Rehabilitation program was initially
authorized by amendment to the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (P.L. 106-
472). All of these programs were extended through FY2007 by the 2002 farm bill.
c. Each of these conservation programs expired on September 30, 2007, under their 2002 farm bill
program authority. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161) extended
these programs temporarily until March 15, 2008.
d. Subsequent to the 2002 farm bill, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) authorized the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) through FY2010, and the Conservation
Security Program (CSP) through FY2011.

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On the other hand, operation of the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
(SFMNP), along with a number of special authorities and requirements incorporated
in the Food Stamp Act and the law governing the CSFP, would be affected without
additional action.
All of the following would expire March 15, 2008:
! mandatory funding from permanent appropriations ($15 million per
year) for the SFMNP;
! the directive to use food stamp appropriations to purchase
commodities ($140 million) “guaranteed” for The Emergency Food
Assistance Program (TEFAP);
! the directive to fund nutrition assistance block grants (in lieu of food
stamps) for Puerto Rico and American Samoa ($1.6 billion);
! the requirement to reserve a portion of food stamp appropriations for
employment/training programs ($110 million)
! the authority to reduce (by $200 million) food stamp administrative
cost payments to states; and
! the requirement for minimum per-case administrative cost payments
under the CSFP.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC), the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition program, and child nutrition programs
(e.g., school lunch and breakfast programs) are reauthorized separately from the farm
bill. Thus, their design and funding would not be affected by a delay in enacting a
farm bill.
Rural Development Programs11
Most rural development loan and grant programs are authorized through
permanent law and funded through annual appropriations, which were received for
FY2008 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-161). However, several
mandatory rural development programs were newly authorized or extended by the
2002 farm bill. These programs expired on September 30, 2007, and were not
included in the March 15, 2008, extension in P.L. 110-161:
! Enhanced Rural Access to Broadband Technology Program;
! Value-Added Product Development Grants Program;
! Renewable and Alternative Energy Systems Grant Program.
11 This section on rural development programs was prepared with assistance from Tadlock
Cowan, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy, CRS.

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Historical Farm Bill Chronology of Major Actions
1973 Farm Bill. P.L. 93-86 (S. 1888), an original bill to extend and amend the
Agricultural Act of 1970 for the purpose of assuring consumers of plentiful supplies of food
and fiber at reasonable prices
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced May 23, 1973.
Enacted August 10, 1973.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expire June 30, 1977.
! Commodity support authorities expire after the 1977 crop year.
Chronology of Major Actions
05/23/1973 — S. 1888 introduced in Senate
05/23/1973 — S. 1888 reported to Senate, S.Rept. 93-173.
06/08/1973 — S. 1888 passed by roll call vote (78-9).
06/20/1973 — H.R. 8860 introduced in House
06/27/1973 — H.R. 8860 reported to House, H.Rept. 93-337.
07/19/1973 — H.R. 8860 laid on table in House, S. 1888 passed in lieu.
08/10/1973 — Signed by President.
1977 Farm Bill. — P.L. 95-113 (S. 275), Food and Agriculture Act of 1977
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced January 18, 1977.
Enacted September 29, 1977.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expire September 30, 1981.
! Commodity support authorities expire after the 1981 crop year.
Chronology of Major Actions
01/18/1977 — S. 275 introduced in Senate.
05/13/1977 — H.R. 7171 introduced in House.
05/16/1977 — Reported to Senate, S.Rept. 95-180.
05/16/1977 — H.R. 7171 reported from the House Ag. Committee, H.Rept. 95-348.
05/24/1977 — Passed Senate by roll call, 69-18.
07/28/1977 — Passed House in lieu of H.R. 7171 by roll call, 294-114.
09/09/1977 — Conference report S.Rept. 95-418 agreed to 9/12/1977 by roll call, 63-8.
09/16/1977 — Conference report agreed to in House by roll call, 283-107.
09/29/1977 — Signed by President.

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CRS-10
1981 Farm Bill. P.L. 97-98 (S. 884), Agriculture and Food Act of 1981
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced April 7, 1981.
Enacted December 22, 1981.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expire September 30, 1985.
! Commodity support authorities expire after the 1985 crop year.
Chronology of Major Actions
04/07/1981 — S. 884 introduced in Senate.
05/18/1981 — H.R. 3603 introduced in House.
05/19/1981 — Reported by House Ag. Committee, H.Rept. 97-106, Part I. Reported by
House Committee on Appropriations 6/11/1981, H.Rept. 97-106, Part II. Reported by
House Committee on Ways and Means on 6/19/1981, H.Rept. 97-106, Part III.
Discharged by House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs on
6/19/1981.
05/27/1981 — S. 884 reported by Senate Ag. Committee under the authority of the order of
May 21, 1981, with written report S.Rept. 97-126.
09/18/1981 — Passed Senate by yeas-nays, 49-32.
10/22/1981 — Passed House by yeas-nays, 192-160.
12/09/1981 — Conference Report H.Rept. 97-377 filed in House.
12/10/1981 — Conference report agreed to in Senate by yeas-nays, 67-32.
12/10/1981 — Conference report S.Rept. 97-290 filed in Senate on the disagreeing votes of
the two Houses on the amendments of the House.
12/16/1981 — Conference report agreed to in House by yeas-nays, 205-203.
12/22/1981 — Signed by President.
1985 Farm Bill. P.L. 99-198 (H.R. 2100), Food Security Act of 1985
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced April 17, 1985.
Enacted December 23, 1985.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expire September 30, 1990.
! Commodity support authorities expire after the 1990 crop year.
Chronology of Major Actions
04/17/1985 — H.R. 2100 introduced in House.
09/13/1985 — Reported to House by House Ag. Committee, H.Rept. 99-271, Part I; and
reported to House by House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries on
9/19/1985, H.Rept. 99-271, Part II.
09/19/1985 — Senate Ag. Committee incorporated provisions of related measures S. 501,
S. 616, S. 843, S. 908, S. 1036, S. 1041, S. 1051, S. 1083, S. 1119, S. 42, S. 171, S.
1040, S. 1049, S. 1050, S. 250, S. 1069 into a single measure that was ordered to be
reported.
09/30/1985 — S. 1714 introduced in Senate and reported to Senate with written report
S.Rept. 99-145.
10/08/1985 — H.R. 2100 passed House by yeas-nays, 282-141.
11/23/1985 — H.R. 2100 passed Senate in lieu of S. 1714 by yeas-nays, 61-28.

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CRS-11
12/17/1985 — Conference Report H.Rept. 99-447 filed in House and agreed to in House on
12/18/1985 by yeas-nays, 325-96; and agreed to in Senate by yeas-nays, 55-38.
12/23/1985 — Signed by President.
1990 Farm Bill. P.L. 101-624 (S. 2830), Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade
Act of 1990
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced July 6, 1990.
Enacted November 28, 1990.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expire September 30, 1995.
! Commodity support authorities expire after the 1995 crop year.
! As a buget savings action, some support provisions for several
commodities were reduced and extended beyond 1995 by P.L. 103-
66 (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993). Support for milk
was extended through 1996. Some provisions affecting cotton,
wheat, feedgrains, rice, peanuts, wool, and mohair were extended
through 1997. Support for honey was extended through 1998.
Chronology of Major Actions
02/05/1990 — H.R. 3950 introduced in House.
7/3/1990 — H.R. 3950 reported by the House Ag. Committee with H.Rept. 101-569, Part
I. Reported 7/16/1990 by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, H.Rept. 101-569, Part
II. Supplemental report filed 7/17/1990 by the House Ag. Committee, H.Rept.
101-569, Part III. Reported 7/18/1990 by the Committee on Education and Labor,
H.Rept. 101-569, Part IV. Reported 7/18/1990 by the Committee on Ways and Means,
H.Rept. 101-569, Part V, filed late, pursuant to previous special order. Discharged
7/18/1990 by the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
07/06/1990 — S. 2830 introduced in Senate.
07/06/1990 — S. 2830 reported to Senate under the authority of the order of June 26, 1990,
with written report S.Rept. 101-357.
07/27/1990 — S. 2830 passed Senate by yeas-nays, 70-21.
8/1/1990 — H.R. 3950 passed House by recorded vote, 327-91.
08/04/1990 — S. 2830 passed in House without objection.
10/22/1990 — Conference report H.Rept. 101-916 filed.
10/23/1990 — Conference report agreed to in House by yeas-nays, 318-102.
10/25/1990 — Conference report agreed to in Senate by yeas-nays, 60-36.
11/28/1990 — Signed by President.

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CRS-12
1996 Farm Bill. P.L.104-127 (H.R. 2854), Federal Agriculture Improvement and
Reform Act of 1996
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced January 5, 1996.
Enacted April 4, 1996.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expires September 30, 2002.
! Commodity support authority expires after the 2002 crop year.
Chronology of Major Actions
08/04/1995 — H.R. 2195 introduced in House.
09/20/1995 — H.R. 2195 marked up by House Ag Committee and voted down.
09/28/1995 — Senate Ag Committee completed markup and approved unnumbered farm
bill.
10/26/1995 — H.R. 2195 included in H.R. 2491, Balanced Budget Act of 1985. H.R. 2491
approved by House on 10/26.
10/28/1995 — Senate Ag Committee farm bill approved as part of the Balanced Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1995 (S. 1357), which was incorporated in H.R. 2491 and approved.
12/06/1995 — H.R. 2491 was vetoed by the President.
01/05/1996 — H.R. 2854 introduced in House.
01/26/1996 — S. 1541 introduced in Senate.
02/07/1996 — S. 1541 passed Senate by yeas-nays, 64-32.
02/09/1996 — H.R. 2854 reported by House Ag. Committee with H.Rept. 104-462, Part I,
and discharged on 2/9/1996 by Committee on Ways and Means.
02/29/1996 — H.R. 2854 passed House by yeas-nays, 270-155.
03/12/1996 — H.R. 2854 passed Senate by voice vote.
03/25/1996 — Conference report H.Rept. 104-494 filed.
03/28/1996 — Conference report agreed to in Senate by yeas-nays, 74-26.
03/29/1996 — Conference report agreed to in House by recorded vote, 318-89.
04/04/1996 — Signed by President.
2002 Farm Bill. P.L. 107-171 (H.R. 2646), Farm Security and Rural Investment Act
of 2002
Summary of Major Actions
Introduced July 26, 2001.
Enacted May 13, 2002. Provisions applied to 2002 crops, superseding the unexpired
provisions of the 1996 farm bill.
Expiration:
! Appropriations authorities expire September 30, 2007.
! Commodity support authorities expire after the 2007 crop year.
Chronology of Major Actions
07/26/2001 — H.R. 2646 introduced in House.
08/02/2001 — H.R. 2646 reported by House Ag. Committee, H.Rept. 107-191, Part I.
Supplemental report filed 8/31/2001 by House Ag. Committee, H.Rept. 107-191, Part
II. Reported by the Committee on International Relations 9/10/2001, H.Rept. 107-191,
Part III.
10/05/2001 — Passed in House by yeas-nays, 291-120.

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CRS-13
11/27/2001 — S. 1731 introduced in Senate and reported to Senate by the Senate Ag.
Committee without a written report. S.Rept. 107-117 was filed on 12/7/2001.
02/13/2002 — Passed in Senate in lieu of S. 1731 by yeas-nays, 58-40.
05/01/2002 — Conference report H.Rept. 107-424 filed.
05/02/2002 — Conference report agreed to in House by yeas-nays, 280-141.
05/08/2002 — Conference report agreed to in Senate by yeas-nays, 64-35.
05/13/2002 — Signed by President.

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