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USDA
In 1862 the United States Department of Agriculture was created. This was the beginning of government involvement and the creation of resources in Agriculture for farmers of the country. -
US Raises Tariffs
IN 1930 President Hoover increases tariffs on U.S Agriculture product exports to try and raise more money for the U.S farmers. However, other countries retaliated and refused to pay the tariffs and the U.S exports plummeted by 60% which negatively affected the entire agriculture economy, which would face many hardships in the years to come. -
1933 The first Farm Bill
The Frist Farm Bill was created in 1933 as part of the New Deal under President Franklin Roosevelt. The Farm Bill was created in response to the great depression, the Dust Bowl, and World war 1. It helped to raise crop prices and gave farmers compensation for reducing the production of certain overly produced crops of the time The first farm bill helped to reduce surplus and raise overall crop prices. -
1934-35
Adjustments are made to the Orginal 1933 Farm Bill that regulates the production of sugar and tobacco in the U.S -
Surplus Food Distribution
The Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation begins as an extension of the 1933 Farm Bill. This allowed for a surplus food distribution program using extra agriculture products from farms across the US to feed children in schools. -
1936 and 1938 Soil Conservation Programs
During this time the nation had been hit by the "dust bowl" which was a national disaster that ravaged the farmlands of the midwest. The dust bowl was a result of a drought that caused dust storms. These storms were caused by the improper management and overplanting of the soil in the midwest. These conservation programs were created to deal with soil erosion that overplanting caused. These conservation programs compensated farmers for planting cover crops to help protect the soil. -
Agriculture Marketing Agreement
Established federal marketing orders for Dairy, fruit, veggies, and other ag products. This is an agreement that is still in effect today and helps regulate prices and markets on various agricultural products. -
Federal Crop Insurance and 1938 Farm Bill
A new farm bill is passed that permanently enacts the 1933 bill. Also, Soil Conservation programs also created Federal Crop Insurance for farmers. This is a program that offered farmers the security of having resources to help them out should they experience crop loss. -
National School Lunch Act and Farmers Home Administration
1946 enacted the school lunch act which created a subsidy program to provide food for schools using surplus agriculture products from the U.S.
The Farmer Home Administration was created to give loans to farmers for housing, farms, and other agriculture needs. -
1949 Farm Bill
Extended crop price support, created subsidies for the dairy industry, as well as put agriculture programs into permanent laws. This farm bill created expiration dates for ag laws and policies, therefore, guaranteeing and securing a future for agriculture legislation and improvement by congress because of the need to renew these laws and programs as they expired. -
Food Stamp Act
1964 the USDA created the Food Stamp Act under the agriculture sector to help provide food assistance to Americans. This would prove to be a controversial topic and program for future generations and is a source of political party tension even today. This also set the stage for the creation of other assistance programs in the U.S. -
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1970's
Agriculture commodities prices soared in the '70s but little to no changes were made to the farm bills or agriculture sectors during this time frame. -
1985
The Food Security Act gave incentives to farmers for wetland preservation and the prevention of soil erosion. The economy of the 80s wasn't a great time for agriculture. Many subsidy programs were added during this time along with the Conservation Reserve Program which actually paid farmers to not farm certain crops on environmentally sensitive land. -
Freedom to Farm
In 1996 the "Freedom to Farm" bill was passed and it allowed farmers more freedom to plant in-demand crops as well as better align producer decisions with market supply and demand. This law would in turn increase subsidies by several million dollars over the next several years which would have mixed feelings politically. -
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2002-2008 Farm Bills
In the early to mid-2000s saw an increase in farm subsidies and and political tension and veto's regarding the passing of Farm Bills -
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2014-2018 Farm Bills
During this time new programs are established for agriculture such as the Crop Revenue Expansion Program, as well as the Agricultural risk coverage program, and the Price loss coverage program to help farmers in need. This time span has also seen an increase in overall agriculture production and profit/ income for the agriculture sector. -
Future Farm Bill of 2023
2023 is when the next farm bill will be created and brought to the legislature. Taking into consideration the effects of the pandemic on the economy and current inflation the policies passed in this bill will be very important to the future of the economy of agriculture.
