The legislation that would set food and farm policy for the next five years is in limbo, waiting for lawmakers to decide its fate after the election.
The latest deadline for the Farm Bill passed unceremoniously at midnight on Sept. 30, without a push from lawmakers to pass a new bill or an extension.
Congress will have to scramble in the lame-duck session set to begin Nov. 12 to come up with some agreement before benefits run out at the end of the year, which if allowed to happen eventually would have major consequences.
The law began 90 years ago with various payments to support farmers but now has an impact far beyond the farm, with programs to create wildlife habitat, address climate change and provide the nation’s largest federal nutrition program.
The delay creates further uncertainty for farmers, who are facing declining prices for many crops and rising costs for fertilizer and other inputs.
