Order Code RL34154
Possible Expiration of the 2002 Farm Bill
Updated March 26, 2008
Jasper Womach, Coordinator,
Tadlock Cowan, Charles E. Hanrahan, Jeffrey A. Zinn
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Joe Richardson
Domestic Social Policy 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.
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
might not be eligible (including soybeans and peanuts). Permanent law affecting
commodity programs is so radically different from current policy and inconsistent
with today’s farming, marketing, and trade agreements, as well as costly to the
federal government, that Congress is unlikely to let it take effect. Lack of new
legislation would also reduce or eliminate some services under conservation,
domestic nutrition assistance, trade and foreign food aid, and rural development
programs.
For most farm bill programs that were in effect on September 30, 2007, P.L.
110-196 extended their authority until April 18, 2008. The duration of the extension
was 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 were extended until April 18. Programs that were
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 and await
renewal. 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).
USDA’s domestic food assistance programs (for example, food stamps)
generally are permanently authorized, and, in most cases, they are not affected by the
April 18 deadline for expiration of the farm bill, since they received a full-year
FY2008 appropriation in P.L. 110-161. However, two major provisions of the law
would be affected: nutrition assistance grants to Puerto Rico and American Samoa
and authority to reduce food stamp administrative payments to states.

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Contents
Commodity Support Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Possible Reversion to Permanent Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Conservation Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Nutrition Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Trade and Foreign Food Aid Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Rural Development Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Historical Farm Bill Chronology of Major Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1973 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1977 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1981 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1985 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1990 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1996 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2002 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2007-2008 Farm Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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?1
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.2
This mandatory category includes the commodity support programs, export
programs, some conservation programs, and food stamps.3 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 some 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
policy parameters and 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
1 In addition to this analysis, the USDA released an unpublished report on February 29,
2008, titled The Effects of Failure to Enact a New Farm Bill: Permanent Law Support for
Commodities and Lapse of Other USDA Programs.
2 In this context the word mandatory does not relate to participation in the programs. In all
cases, program participation is voluntary.
3 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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CRS-2
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
extended the authority for many expiring programs until March 15, 2008. Program
authorities were further extended to April 18, 2008, by P.L. 110-196. Each extension
was expected to be sufficient for conference negotiations to resolve differences
between the House- and Senate-passed farm bills (H.R. 2419).
Commodity Support Programs4
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 a
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.5
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.6 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 2008.7
4 This section on commodity support programs is written by Jasper Womach, Specialist in
Agricultural Policy, CRS.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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. Temporary extensions
were provided by P.L. 110-161 and P.L. 110-196. Without an extension, program authority
would have reverted to permanent law, whereby the government would have been obligated
(continued...)

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CRS-3
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
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 agreements, as well as
potentially 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.8 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,
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 announces no marketing quotas, and thus no producer referenda.
Therefore, the only requirement is to announce wheat acreage allotments prior to the
2008 harvest.9 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
7 (...continued)
to purchase surplus cheese, nonfat dry milk, and butter at prices substantially higher than
current support prices.
8 Parity is a price relationship that gives a unit of the commodity the same purchasing power
it had in the 1910-1914 time period. (Average prices received by farmers and commodity
parity prices are reported monthly by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service
report, Agricultural Prices.
9 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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CRS-4
losing mandatory support include peanuts, 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 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, Jan
Price as
Permanent Law (Agricultural Adjustment
Loan /
Price, Jan
2008b
% of
Act of 1938 and Agricultural Act of 1949)c
Purchase
2008a
Parity,
Price Under
Jan 2008
Permanent
Law
Basic Commodities
Wheat, Bu
$8.55
$12.00
71% 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
$11.60
$28.90
40% 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
$4.28
$7.56
57% Nonrecourse loans and direct purchases.
50% parity =
Acreage allotments are not authorized.
$3.78
Loan rate = 50%-90% of parity.
Sorghum, Bu
$4.61
$7.56
61% Support set in relation to feed value (TDN)
$3.59
compared to corn (sorghum =95%, barley=90%,
Barley, Bu
$4.92
$8.26
60% oats=90%), and adjusted for differing bushel
$3.40
weights. Sorghum loan = 95% of corn loan,
Oats, Bu
$2.71
$4.91
55% barley loan = 77% of corn, oats = 51% of corn.
$1.93
Cotton,
$0.614
$2.06
30% Nonrecourse loans and direct purchases.
$1.34
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
$0.220
$0.785
28% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 107-171
none
(1996 farm bill), Title I, Subtitle C.
Designated Nonbasic Commodities
Milk, Mfg, Cwt
$20.10
$40.40
50% Purchases of milk and butterfat products at
75% parity =
75%-90% of parity.
$30.30
Direct payments under Milk Income Loss
none
Contracts (MILC)
Honey, Lb
$1.04
$2.74
38% Purchases of honey at 60%-90% of parity.
$1.60
Wool, Lb
$0.88
$1.80
49% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 103-130.
none
Mohair, Lb
$2.78
$8.33
33% Permanent authority repealed by P.L. 103-130.
none
Other Nonbasic Commodities

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Commodity
Farm
Parity
Farm
Minimum Support Provisions Under
Minimum
and Unit
Market
Price, Jan
Price as
Permanent Law (Agricultural Adjustment
Loan /
Price, Jan
2008b
% of
Act of 1938 and Agricultural Act of 1949)c
Purchase
2008a
Parity,
Price Under
Jan 2008
Permanent
Law
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
Soybeans, Bu
$11.00
$18.70
59%
none
Sunflower
$20.90
$37.70
55%
none
Seed, Cwt
Rapeseed, Cwt
$17.70
$38.80
46%
none
Canola, Cwt
$20.00
$34.30
58% Permanent law includes no mandatory support
none
for these other nonbasic commodities.
Safflower, Cwt
$18.70
$42.20
44% However, Sec. 301 of the Agricultural Act of
none
1949, and in the Commodity Credit Corporation
Flaxseed, Bu
$13.90
$20.20
69%
none
Charter Act give discretionary authority to the
Mustard Seed,
$19.80
$44.90
44% 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,
$16.10
na
na
none
Small, Cwt
Peas, Dry, Cwt
$15.50
na
na
none
Lentils, Cwt
$28.50
na
na
none
a. Average January 2008 prices received by farmers as reported by USDA, NASS. January prices are not available
for all commodities, so marketing year 2007 prices are used for wool, rapeseed, safflower, mustard, and small
chickpeas; 2006 prices are used for honey and mohair.
b. Reported by USDA, NASS, Agricultural Prices, January 2008. 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 January 2008 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, P.L. 110-196 has extended the dairy price support program through April
18, 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

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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. 110-196.
Conservation Programs10
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. Conservation program spending recently has
averaged about $5 billion annually.
While most of the larger conservation programs are authorized by the 2002 farm
bill and expire the end of FY2007, several mostly older programs, with total spending
about $1 billion, 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
$4 billion, 80% of USDA conservation spending. 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, P.L.
110-196 most recently extended these programs until April 18, 2008.
The absence of new mandatory program authority likely would mean that no
new contracts could be signed with farmers. All existing contracts would stay in
force for their specified lives, and payments would continue to be made on the
existing contracts. Three mandatory conservation programs are funded at specific
levels by P.L. 110-196 through April 18, 2008 — the Farmland Protection Program
($97 million), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program ($85 million), and the Ground
and Surface Water Conservation Program ($60 million). Also, two programs, the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Security
Program (CSP), have been extended in earlier legislation to FY2010 and FY2011,
10 This section on conservation programs is written by Jeff Zinn, Specialist in Natural
Resources Policy, CRS.

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CRS-7
respectively. The mandatory conservation programs are listed in the bottom half of
Table 2, with their current expiration dates.
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
April 18, 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)
April 18, 2008c
Farmland Protection Program (FPP)
April 18, 2008c
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)
April 18, 2008c
Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
April 18, 2008c
Ground and Surface Water Program
April 18, 2008c
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
April 18, 2008c
Watershed Rehabilitation Program
April 18, 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. P.L. 110-196 extended these programs temporarily until April 18, 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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Nutrition Programs11
At the end of FY2007 (and with no enacted farm bill to extend them), a number
of authorities in domestic food assistance laws expired. They effectively were
extended by a series of appropriations actions, including P.L. 110-161, the 2008
Consolidated Appropriations Act. Most recently, P.L. 110-196 extended them until
April 18, 2008. Because the Appropriations Act provided funding for all domestic
food assistance programs through the end of FY2008, most programs (and the terms
and conditions under which they operate) will be unaffected should April 18 pass
without new legislation. However, some provisions of domestic food assistance law
will terminate.
Without some action, authority to continue to pay out nutrition assistance grants
to Puerto Rico and American Samoa (totaling some $1.6 billion for FY2008) would
terminate April 18. Provisions allowing USDA to reduce, by just under $200 million
a year, states’ regular federal matching payments for food stamp administrative costs
also would terminate April 18. This authority is intended to adjust for administrative
costs shared with other federally supported public assistance programs.
Other, less significant authorities that would be affected include:
! continuation of several food stamp pilot projects in which elderly or
disabled recipients receive cash benefits,
! $5 million in grants for simplified application projects,
! $5 million in grants for community food projects,
! a directive for minimum, per-case administrative cost payments for
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) projects,
! provisions regarding the amounts of cheese and nonfat dry milk to
be provided to the CSFP, and
! provisions regarding contracting with private companies to process
USDA-donated commodities.12
Trade and Foreign Food Aid Programs13
Several agricultural trade programs are authorized by the 2002 farm bill to
receive mandatory funding. However, unless extended, these programs expire after
April 18, 2008. The programs in question are export credit guarantees, export credit
guarantees for emerging markets, facilities credit guarantees, export market
11 This section on nutrition programs is written by Joe Richardson, Specialist in Domestic
Social Policy, CRS.
12 The USDA has determined that other authorities that might appear to be affected
would not — e.g., continuation of the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition program,
continued funding for employment and training programs for food stamp recipients,
support for TEFAP. Moreover, ending the six affected authorities noted here may
not, in the short term, have a significant effect because of the existence of other
authorities that could be used to replace them or the timing of grant decisions.
13 This section on trade and aid programs is written by Charles Hanrahan, Senior Specialist
in Agricultural Policy, CRS.

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CRS-9
promotion, general export and dairy export subsidies, and technical assistance for
specialty crops.
Authority to carry out international emergency and non-emergency food aid
programs is provided by P.L. 480, the Agricultural Trade Development and
Assistance Act. Several authorities in P.L. 480 will terminate after April 18, 2008,
without an extension of the 2002 farm bill or enactment of a new farm bill. These
include the authorization of minimum volumes of commodity assistance under Title
II (emergency and private assistance), the authority to finance sales (Title I) or enter
into agreements to provide commodities for emergencies or development projects
(Title II), and the authority to carry out P.L. 480-financed agricultural technical
assistance in sub-Saharan African and Caribbean countries. Authority to replenish
stocks of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, a reserve of commodities and cash
used to meet unanticipated food aid needs, also expires after April 18, 2008. The
McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition program is permanently
authorized and is currently funded by P.L. 110-161 through September 30, 2008.
Congress has mandated the USDA to permanently carry out another food aid
program, the Food for Progress Program. However, its funding is provided through
appropriations on a fiscal year basis and the authority to appropriate funds will expire
on April 18, 2008.
Rural Development Programs14
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 April 18, 2008, extension in P.L. 110-196:
! Enhanced Rural Access to Broadband Technology Program;
! Value-Added Product Development Grants Program;
! Renewable and Alternative Energy Systems Grant Program.
14 This section on rural development programs is written by Tadlock Cowan, Analyst in
Natural Resources Policy, CRS.

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CRS-10
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-11
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.

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CRS-12
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.
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.
07/03/1990 — 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.
08/01/1990 — 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-13
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.

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CRS-14
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.
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.
2007-2008 Farm Bill. Public law pending further congressional action (H.R.
2419), Food and Energy Security Act of 2007
Chronology of Major Actions
05/22/2007 — H.R. 2419 introduced in House.
07/23/2007 — H.R. 2419 reported by House Ag. Committee, H.Rept. 110-256, Part
I.
07/23/2007 — H.R. 2419 discharged by Committee on Foreign Affairs.
07/27/2007 — H.R. 2419 passed in House by yeas-nays, 231-191.
12/14/2007 — H.R. 2419, amended with substitute language, passed in Senate by
yeas-nays, 79-14.
12/26/2007 — P.L. 110-161 (Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008) provided
funds for USDA programs for FY2008, and included language extending, with
specific exceptions, the 2002 farm bill until March 15, 2008 (Division A, Title
VII, Sec. 751).
03/14/2008 — P.L. 110-196 extended, with specific exceptions, the 2002 farm bill
until April 18, 2008, and suspended provisions of permanent price support
authority.
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