Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 10/1/18
 
The 2014 farm bill expired at midnight, with Congress nowhere near a compromise needed to pass a new law. Now it's up to USDA to pick up the pieces while farm bill negotiators seek common ground that's eluded them for months. And with lawmakers headed back to their states and districts for the final stretch of midterm campaigning, some members of the Agriculture committees might be in for an earful from voters unhappy about the missed deadline.

Keep calm and farm on: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue offered assurances that critical features of ag and food policy will continue even without a farm bill. In a statement to POLITICO, Perdue noted that SNAP benefits will still flow to recipients and the farm safety net will remain in place for now, because most commodity programs are tied to the crop year, not to the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

"USDA will continue to work within our authorities to provide the best customer service possible to our farmers and ranchers across the country in the interim," Perdue said. The department will "continue to implement provisions of the 2014 farm bill within the limits of the law and work with the Congress, providing technical assistance as needed, until a new bill is passed." USDA didn't offer any specifics when asked.

Perdue said he expects the so-called Big Four members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to "continue their work in the weeks ahead so remaining barriers to a new farm bill can be overcome in short order."

Outlook this week: It's not yet clear if the Big Four are planning to meet in person. The House is out of session until after the midterms, but House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway is set to return to Washington this week in hopes of more farm bill meetings.

Missed targets: Top ag lawmakers like Conaway have long stressed the importance of an on-time farm bill. The legislation was supposed to offset some of the challenges and uncertainty farmers and ranchers are facing from retaliatory tariffs, low commodity prices and trends like declining farm income. With the midterms fast approaching, any new problems producers may face because of the missed deadline could be reflected in farm-state congressional races on Nov. 6.

"Producers don't need the additional anxiety or uncertainty of not knowing what the next five years looks like with respect to a farm bill," Conaway said Friday in a video released by the House Agriculture Committee.

A SCRAMBLE FOR FARM BILL PROGRAMS LEFT IN LIMBO: While most of the big-ticket items in the farm bill continue right along even without the law being reauthorized, there are nearly 40 so-called orphan programs which no longer have funding as of today. Despite Perdue's pledge that USDA will work within its authorities to do what it can, it's not clear exactly what will happen to each program. Orphan programs span a wide range of initiatives, from providing support for beginning producers and organic research to assistance for veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers.

"Everyone is scrambling to figure that out," Andrew Bahrenburg, national policy director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, said of the fate of orphan programs. His group is particularly concerned about the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program and the Farmers Market Promotion Program, both of which could see much of their work put on hold for the foreseeable future.

Bahrenburg said USDA is trying to figure out what they can do in the interim. "I don't think anyone down there wants to see the lights shut off on any of these programs."

Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts said last week that arrangements were being made to prevent a lapse in operations for the left-behind programs. Since then, however, neither top ag lawmakers nor USDA officials have provided any clarity on what USDA may be able to do in the absence of authorization for these programs. Bahrenburg said Roberts' comments sounded "encouraging," but he added: "I haven't heard any more details."

Leaving orphans behind ahead of the midterms: "We were pretty stunned to watch the House take their last votes until Election Day and just let this thing die on Sunday night," he said, looking back on last week. "It's an interesting and bold reelection strategy."