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Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933
In May of 1933, President Roosevelt signed the Agricultural Adjustment Act, also known as the Farm Relief Bill, as a part of the 100-day phase of the New Deal Program.
This act was created in order to provide relief to farmers during the Great Depression by increasing the farmers' purchasing power by decreasing surpluses of agricultural products. The overall goal of the bill was to get the prices of agricultural products to rise so farmers could earn sustainable incomes. -
Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933
Two years after the introduction of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, farmers' incomes were reportedly 50% higher than before the bill.
Not all farmers benefited from the act. In the south, the Act caused many African American sharecroppers to fall deeper into poverty because it was the landowners who were given subsidies for not planting. Many landowners used their subsidies to buy equipment, meaning many sharecroppers lost their jobs entirely.
The bill was deemed unconstitutional in1936. -
Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973
The Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act, also known as the 1973 U.S. Farm Bill, incorporated the food stamp into a farm bill for the first time. This bill also adopted target prices and deficiency payments as tools meant to support farm incomes and reduce forfeitures to the Commodity Credit Corporation. -
Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973
This Bill reduced payment limitations to $20,000 (was $55,000, set in 1970) for all program crops.
This was the first bill that went beyond authorizing farm commodity programs. It also authorized disaster payments and disaster reserve inventories, created the Rural Environmental Conservation Program, amended the Food Stamp Act of 1964, and authorized the use of commodities for feeding low-income mothers and children. -
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill, supported the production of a reliable, safe, and affordable supply of food and fiber; promote stewardship of agricultural land and water resources; facilitate access of American farm products; encourage continued economic and infrastructure development in rural America; and ensure continued research to maintain an efficient and innovative agricultural and food sector. -
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
This bill also altered the farm payment program and introduced counter-cyclical farm income support; expanded conservation land retirement programs; relaxed rules to make more borrowers eligible for Federal farm credit assistance; restored food stamp eligibility for legal immigrants; and introduced provisions on animal welfare. -
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, also known as the 2008 Farm Bill, was a continuation of the 2002 Farm Bill.
This bill set the agricultural program and funding priorities for the nation. It also covers everything from crop payments to growers to conservation programs. The 2008 Farm Bill also aimed to create more green energy from farm products. -
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
While Congress was working on this Bill, New Jersey and other states from the Northeast were trying to make sure their agricultural interests were being addressed. The northeast is responsible for the production of over 5% of the market value of agricultural products, yet they were receiving just over 1% of the Farm Bill's conservation fund.