The Farm Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Farm Bill - Essay Example It is revised after every five years under the supervision of Congress. This paper aims to critically analyze The Farm Bill and its relative impact on biotechnology. Additionally, the effect of government policies on the overall performance and production of farms shall be discussed. The Firm Bill is broadly defined as an omnibus legislation program which is based on multi-year authorization of farm production. It is typically designed to govern agricultural production and farmers through different food programs along with financial and legal support (Johnson & Monke, 2013). In USA the agricultural policies are part of some other major laws and therefore they are created and altered by freestanding legislation. However, the Farm Bill gives a forecasting opportunity to policy makers in order to expansively and sporadically addresses the issues of agriculture and food sector. It is therefore renewed approximately after every five years so as to meet the challenges of the modern world a nd also to play its vital role in the development of biotechnology (Johnson & Monke, 2013). It was initially implemented in USA somewhere in 1930 (Johnson & Monke, 2013). At that time its primary motive was to ensure commodity prices of rice, cotton, wheat, corn, soybeans and diary. Moreover, it was programmed to extend maximum income support to the farmers. However, later on due to the advancements in biotechnology and the changing political and economic dynamics few order things were included as part of the Farm Bill. For instance, currently it is responsible to assist nutrition and conversion, bio energy programs and horticulture in addition to insurance, credit, extended financial support, research and rural development (Mayrand, et. al., 2013). Following is a brief description of the functions and provision of The Farm Bill 2008 (Johnson & Monke, 2013): Commodity Programs: As per the commodity programs, farmers are provided extensive financial support which is also termed as th e ‘safety net’. It gives the required training to the farmers to enhance their disaster management skills and enable them to securely manage production risks, market fluctuations etc. Moreover, it includes a detailed description of government purchases. Conservation: It encourages management of farmlands and other natural environment through different working land programs. It protects and safeguards the resource material, tools and other equipment used in the progress of agricultural products. Primarily four broad programs are part of this category i.e. Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Quality Incentive Program (QIP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Trade: It typically deals with the export program of USA. It has to be consistent with the international trade policies while performing its functions as per the instructions of World Trade Organization. Market access program is one of its major concerns. Nutrition: Households a nd individuals have varying nutritional demands and therefore this program is designed to care for the food needs of general population. It has introduced the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program which ensures the availability of quality food in schools and children associations. Credit: It defines the loan policies and the financial support planned by the government. Farmers can easily avail credits in order to increase their production while maintaining superior quality. Rural Development: Progress