February 17, 2022
Farm Bill Primer: What Is the Farm Bill?
The farm bill is an omnibus, multiyear law that governs an
The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334), by Title
array of agricultural and food programs. It provides an
Title I, Commodities: Provides support for major commodity
opportunity for policymakers to comprehensively and
crops, including wheat, corn, soybeans, peanuts, rice, dairy, and
periodically address agricultural and food issues. In
sugar, as well as disaster assistance.
addition to developing and enacting farm legislation,
Title II, Conservation: Encourages environmental stewardship
Congress is involved in overseeing its implementation. The
of farmlands and improved management through land retirement
farm bill typically is renewed about every five years. Since
programs, working lands programs, or both.
the 1930s, Congress has enacted 18 farm bills.
Title III, Trade: Supports U.S. agricultural export programs and
Without reauthorization, some farm bill programs would
international food assistance programs.
expire, such as the nutrition assistance and the commodity
Title IV, Nutrition: Provides nutrition assistance for low-
support programs. The farm bill also suspends permanent
income households through programs including the Supplemental
law for certain farm commodities. Without suspension,
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
long-abandoned—and potentially costly—supply control
Title V, Credit: Offers direct government loans and guarantees
and price regimes dating back to the 1940s would activate.
to producers to buy land and operate farms and ranches.
Other programs have permanent authority and do not need
reauthorization (e.g., crop insurance) but might be included
Title VI, Rural Development: Supports rural housing,
in a farm bill to make policy changes or achieve budgetary
community facilities, business, and utility programs through
goals. The farm bill also extends authorizations of
grants, loans, and guarantees.
discretionary programs.
Title VII, Research, Extension, and Related Matters:
Supports agricultural research and extension programs to expand
Farm bills traditionally have focused on farm commodity
academic knowledge and help producers be more productive.
program support for a handful of staple commodities—
Title VIII, Forestry: Supports forestry management programs
corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts, dairy, and
run by USDA’s Forest Service.
sugar. Farm bills have become increasingly expansive in
Title IX, Energy: Encourages the development of farm and
nature since 1973, when a nutrition title was first included.
community renewable energy systems through various programs,
Other prominent additions since then include horticulture
including grants and loan guarantees.
and bioenergy titles and expansion of conservation,
research, and rural development titles.
Title X, Horticulture: Supports the production of specialty
crops, USDA-certified organic foods, and locally produced foods
The omnibus nature of the farm bill can create broad
and authorizes a regulatory framework for industrial hemp.
coalitions of support among sometimes conflicting interests
Title XI, Crop Insurance: Enhances risk management through
for policies that individually might have greater difficulty
the permanently authorized Federal Crop Insurance Program.
achieving majority support in the legislative process. In
Title XII, Miscellaneous: Includes programs and assistance for
recent years, more stakeholders have become involved in
livestock and poultry production, support for beginning farmers
the debate on farm bills, including national farm groups;
and ranchers, and other miscellaneous and general provisions.
commodity associations; state organizations; nutrition and
public health officials; and advocacy groups representing
What Was the Estimated Cost in 2018?
conservation, recreation, rural development, faith-based
interests, local food systems, and organic production. These
Farm bills authorize programs in two spending categories:
factors can contribute to increased interest in funds
mandatory and discretionary. While both types of programs
provided in a farm bill.
are important, mandatory programs usually dominate the
farm bill debate. Programs with mandatory spending
What Is in the 2018 Farm Bill?
generally operate as entitlements, and the farm bill provides
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill;
mandatory funding for programs based on multiyear budget
P.L. 115-334, H.Rept. 115-1072)—enacted in December
estimates (baseline). Programs with authorized
2018 and generally expiring in 2023—is the most recent
discretionary funding are not funded in the farm bill; any
omnibus farm bill. It contains 12 titles (see text box).
discretionary appropriations would be provided through
Provisions in the 2018 farm bill modified some of the farm
separate congressional action.
commodity programs, expanded crop insurance, amended
conservation programs, reauthorized and revised nutrition
At enactment in December 2018, the Congressional Budget
assistance, and extended authority to appropriate funds for
Office (CBO) estimated that the total cost of the mandatory
many U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
programs in the farm bill was $428 billion over its five-year
discretionary programs through FY2023.
duration, FY2019-FY2023, and $1.8 billion more than a
five-year extension of the 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79).
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Farm Bill Primer: What Is the Farm Bill?
Farm bills have both 5-year and 10-year budget projections.
the best indicator of future funding availability. Using the
The 10-year score for the 2018 farm bill was budget
July 2021 baseline projection that covers the major farm
neutral, and program outlays were projected to remain at
bill programs, and funding indicated in law for other farm
$867 billion over FY2019-FY2028 (Table 1). Four titles
bill programs that are not included in the annual projection,
accounted for 99% of the 2018 farm bill’s mandatory
the current baseline for farm bill programs is estimated at
spending: Nutrition (primarily SNAP), Commodities, Crop
$527 billion over 5 years (FY2022-FY2026) and $1,033
Insurance, and Conservation. Programs in all other farm bill
billion over 10 years (FY2022-FY2031) (Figure 1). New
titles accounted for about 1% of mandatory outlays; these
CBO baselines later in 2022 and again in 2023 will update
programs were authorized to receive discretionary
these amounts and add future fiscal years.
(appropriated) funds.
Figure 1. Baseline for Farm Bill Programs, by Title
Table 1. Budget for the 2018 Farm Bill and 2021
(dol ars in bil ions, 10-year mandatory outlays)
Baseline for Farm Bill Programs
(dol ars in mil ions, 10-year mandatory outlays)
2018 Farm Bill
Baseline as of
at Enactment
July 2021
FY2019-FY2028
FY2022-FY2031
Titles
($ millions)
($ millions)
Commodities
61,414
55,003
Conservation
59,748
59,402
Trade
4,094
4,220
Nutrition
663,828
814,503
Credit
-4,558
a/

Rural Development
-2,362
a/
Source: CRS using the CBO Baseline (July 2021) for the five largest
titles and amounts in law for programs in other titles.
Research
1,219
1,280
Notes: Estimated at $1,033 bil ion over 10 years (FY2022-FY2031).
Forestry
10
a/
The relative proportions of farm bill spending have shifted
Energy
737
500
over the past two decades. Conservation spending has
Horticulture
2,047
2,100
steadily risen. Crop insurance has been variable but has
generally risen as benefits and enrollment have expanded.
Crop Insurance
77,933
94,819
Farm commodity program spending is variable but has
generally declined. Nutrition assistance rose sharply after
Miscellaneous
3,091
760
the recession in 2009, waned for several years as the
Total
867,200
1,032,587
economy recovered, and rose again at the onset of the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Source: CRS using CRS Report R45425, Budget Issues That Shaped
the 2018 Farm Bil ; CRS Report R45525, The 2018 Farm Bil (P.L.
Supplemental spending is not part of the farm bill baseline
115-334): Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison; CBO Baseline (July
but may be important because of its size in recent years. In
2021, at https://www.cbo.gov/about/products/baseline-projections-
FY2019 and FY2020, the Trump Administration used its
selected-programs) for the five largest titles and amounts in law for
discretion to increase outlays to farmers and ranchers
programs in other titles.
affected by foreign retaliatory tariffs. Then in FY2020 and
Notes: a/ = Baseline for the credit title is likely negative indicating
FY2021, Congress and the executive branch provided
payments into the Farm Credit System Insurance fund. The rural
nonfarm-bill supplemental funding during the pandemic.
development title likely no longer has programs with baseline.
Baseline for the forestry title is $10 mil ion or less.
Information in Selected CRS Reports
What Is the Farm Bill Budget for 2023?
CRS Report R45525, The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334):
The CBO baseline represents budget authority and is a
Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison
projection at a particular point in time of what future federal
CRS Report R45425, Budget Issues That Shaped the 2018 Farm
spending on mandatory programs would be assuming
Bill
current law continues. It is the benchmark against which
CRS Report R45210, Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-
proposed changes in law are measured. Having a baseline
2018
provides projected future funding if policymakers decide
that programs are to continue.

Renée Johnson, Specialist in Agricultural Policy
CBO’s scoring baseline for the 2023 legislative session is
Jim Monke, Specialist in Agricultural Policy
expected in early 2023 and will cover the 10-year period
FY2024-FY2033. Presently, the July 2021 CBO baseline is
IF12047
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Farm Bill Primer: What Is the Farm Bill?


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