President Trump has the final say to approve the 2018 Farm Bill, but both Ohio Senator have already said this bipartisan bill is good for Ohio and its agriculture community.
The U.S. House and Senate both approved the bill this week, and now it is going to the president’s desk for his signature. Bill is covers more than just agriculture, around 80 percent of the $867 dollar price tag, funds the food stamp program. But there are provisions in the bill that will help farmers when they don’t have good years with their crops or if crop prices drop to a point that they have a hard time getting the capital for the next farming season. Plus, there are incentives to help farmers sell their products to a more local markets.
“We have some programs that help local farmers sell directly to local consumers. That’s good news because that means more money in the farmers pocket, it means fewer transportation cost, which is good for the environment,” says Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. “It’s good for the money in the pocket of consumers, buying food grown locally.”
Plus there more money in the Farm Bill to help the ongoing fight against the Harmful Algal Blooms.
“This is the stuff the stuff that is gong on in Grand Lake St. Marys, Lake Erie and some of this is from runoff and we were able to triple the money that is in the bill right now in partnership programs with the agriculture community,” add Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman. “These are programs that have worked really well supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau and others to try and reduce run off.”
The bill also completely legalizes the production of hemp and makes it a crop covered under insurance. Hemp sales are predicted to reach $2.1 billion dollars in the next two years, with the rise of the CBD products.
