Republicans on the U.S. Senate Agriculture and Nutrition Committee have laid out the framework for a new, more producer-centric farm bill.

Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell expressed the federation's gratitude to the lawmakers involved.

“We thank Senator Boozman and his staff for addressing many of the priorities we heard directly from Alabama farmers,” Parnell said. “We also thank Alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt for including the priorities they inherited. While the farm bill still has a long way to go, we are pleased that this framework will improve the safety net for farmers and further strengthen our nation's food security.”

Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, who authored the proposal, said he “wants to get more agriculture into the farm bill.”

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“Our framework announced today answers that call by modernizing the farm safety net, facilitating expanded access to foreign markets, promoting breakthroughs in agricultural research, and growing the rural communities our farmers, ranchers and foresters call home — all while making historic investments to protect conservation and nutrition programs that help Americans in need,” Boozman said. “I am eager to follow the House's lead and write a bill that has bipartisan support.”

To help craft the framework, Boozman invited members of the coalition's Alabama Agriculture Leadership Class to meet in 2022. The House Agriculture Committee passed its version of the farm bill last month, titled the Agriculture, Food, and Homeland Security Act of 2024. The coalition also supports the House version.

The Farm Bill sets out U.S. agricultural, nutrition and environmental protection policy. Congress usually passes a Farm Bill every five years. The current law expired last year but was extended by Congress.

Currently, more than three-quarters of Farm Bill spending goes to nutrition programs, a figure that is expected to increase over the next five years.

Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on X. @ShipleyAusten