Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 1/3/22

There’s a lot of uncertainty around who will control writing the 2023 farm bill, but Democrats are making an early bid to shape talks around their climate and other major priorities, hoping to ensure they get at least some of what they want even if Republicans win a majority in the House this fall, reports Pro Ag’s Meredith Lee. House Agriculture Chair David Scott (D-Ga.) plans to initiate farm bill negotiations in the coming weeks since the current bill expires in 2023.

“Our focus has to be on making the funding for climate change solutions user-friendly and agri-friendly,” Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) said in an interview.

The farm bill, which is reauthorized every five years, touches nearly everything across the agricultural sector and rural economies. It funds programs spanning farm subsidies to food assistance and rural jobs programs. Strengthening the bill’s climate-related provisions would cement the Agriculture Department as a central player in government efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions for years to come.

The growing cost of extreme weather: Lawmakers are also acknowledging they will need to address how Congress funds disaster relief as extreme weather becomes more frequent and widespread. Last year, lawmakers requested and Congress approved separate, immediate disaster relief for Western states and other regions hit by extreme weather. Requesting aid outside the farm bill is often quicker, but some lawmakers worry it undercuts the farm bill’s authority.

“I think there’s going to be a debate about if there is a way that we can tweak the existing programs so that ad hoc relief is not necessary to quite the same extent,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.).

USDA officials are also eager to overhaul disaster relief funding within the farm bill. Robert Bonnie, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation, said during a recent trip to drought-stricken Oregon that he’s hoping there’s an opportunity for “a conversation going into the next farm bill about [disaster relief] and how we make sure programs work as intended.”