Page 33 - Farm Bill Series_The 7 Things You Should Know

Just a few weeks ago, in a meeting with new members of the House Agriculture Committee,
Lucas tried to put the 2014 farm bill into perspective compared to previous farm bills.

“They’ve all been so different,” he emphasized. From his perspective, farm bills have evolved
over three distinctly different generations, adapting to reflect different parts of U.S. agricultural
history and economic conditions.

The very first farm bill, in 1933, was about supply management because we had stockpiles of
excess commodities, Lucas told Agri-Pulse. Subsequent farm bills were used to build upon the
tools first used at that time. The second generation of farm bills, launched in 1996, was dubbed
“Freedom to Farm” as a way to move farmers away from production controls and target prices.
That’s when direct or “transition” payments were first launched and Roberts chaired the House
Agriculture Committee.
The third generation of farm bills – culminating in the 2014 bill – was focused on getting rid of
direct payments, Lucas said.

“When you have to reinvent the wheel, like we did, it’s tough,” Lucas said of the last farm bill
experience. “But like 2002 and 2008, when you are refining existing policy, it’s much easier.”

Lucas predicts that the next farm bill will be a refinement process, rather than a reinvention
process.
“I just hope that (current House Agriculture Chairman Mike) Conaway doesn’t have to go
through what Pat (Roberts) did in 1996 or I did in 2012, 2013 and 2014.”

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