Farm Bill Proposal Sparks Divide Between Farm Bureau and Environmental Advocates

The American Farm Bureau Federation has welcomed the release of Senate farm bill text and the scheduled markup by the Senate Agriculture Committee. The organization's president, Zippy Duvall, praised Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman for releasing the legislation and expressed optimism that lawmakers can build bipartisan support to move the bill through Congress.

The Farm Bureau supports provisions in the bill that would authorize year-round sales of E15 blended fuel, increase investments in specialty crops, and address agricultural input price volatility. Duvall also called on the committee to approve the measure and send it to the full Senate for consideration, citing the nation's loss of 200,000 farms over the past decade.

However, environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth is urging senators to reject the latest Senate Republican Farm Bill proposal. The organization objects to a provision that would allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline, saying it would increase demand for corn and encourage more pesticide-intensive farming practices. Kari Hamerschlag, deputy director of food and agriculture at Friends of the Earth U.S., said Congress should invest more in diversified farming systems, local food infrastructure, conservation, and healthy food access.