Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE 6/22/18

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday set in motion the process for considering the farm bill on the floor next week. Around 6 p.m. Monday, the Senate will hold a procedural vote on the motion to proceed to the legislation, which may pave the way for debate.

CBO breaks down the numbers: Also on Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office posted its analysis of the Senate farm bill, shedding light on the cost of making changes to commodity, conservation, nutrition, trade and other policy, Catherine reports.

Commodity title: Under the Senate bill, the dairy industry would see an additional $200 million in support over a decade, as would row crop farmers participating in Agriculture Risk Coverage, which shields against drops in revenue. But overall spending on the commodity title is expected to be about $400 million less than current law, primarily due to the elimination of "economic adjustment assistance" for the cotton industry and a proposal to reduce the means test that determines eligibility for crop subsidies from $900,000 to $700,000 in adjusted gross income.

Conservation title: Total spending on conservation programs would hold steady over 10 years, though the amount allocated to different initiatives would shift around. Annual acreage enrollment in the Conservation Stewardship Program would drop, saving about $1 billion, while funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program would decrease by $1.5 billion. But proposed funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and Regional Conservation Partnership Program would increase by about $2.5 billion combined.

Nutrition title: The Senate bill makes few changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Some of the administrative changes that Senate Agriculture Committee leaders have proposed would save money, while others would drive up costs. For example, states would be required to use a national database to prevent SNAP participants from receiving benefits from more than one state at a time — reducing spending by an estimated $588 million over a decade. Meanwhile, boosting a grant program that funds incentives to food stamp recipients who purchase fruits and vegetables would see a $400 million bump.