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Agricultural Adjustment Act
Passed by President Roosevelt on May 12, 1933, this made it federal law to balance supply/demand of agriculture; this offered farmers subsidies in exchange for limiting production, causing an increase in prices and thereby an increase in income. In 1936, a new act was outlined; the act was later rectified in 1938, but programs that were a development from this Act are still in use. -
Food and Agriculture Act of 1977
This Act allowed for the use of solar energy to be added to Agriculture, established a National food and human nutrition research and education program, and authorized $260 million for Extensions. -
Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade (FACT) Act
This Act helped to continue movement of agriculture in a market-oriented direction by halting target prices and allowing more flexibility with planting. It established the Rural Development Program and modified/extended the Food Stamp Program. New forest related programs were a development of this act, including The Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP), The Forest Stewardship Program (FSP), The Forest Legacy Program (FLP), and The Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCFP). -
Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act (FAIR) of 1996
This Act, also known as the "Freedom to Farm Act" allowed provisions related to Native American extension programs, and allowed for the creation of The Fund for Rural America, to better develop rural areas. This Act removed the link between farm prices and income-support payments, and helped to reauthorize the Food Stamp Program. -
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act
This bill addressed issues relating to nutrition, agriculture, energy, ecology, and trade, allowing for $16.5 billion of funding towards subsidies. It also allowed for a retaining of the fixed payment mechanism, introduced in the FAIR Act of 1996. Major conservation programs included in this act: Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and Conservation Security Program. -
Agricultural Act of 2014
The 2014 Farm Bill authorized nutrition and agricultural programs insured protection by crop insurance programs as opposed to subsites that were offered by prior Farm bills. There were modifications made to the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and commodities, as well as expanding the options for agricultural programs like organic farmers, new farmers/ranchers, and bioenergy.
