WASHINGTON - Congressman Andy Barr released the following statement regarding passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm bill):
“This is an important victory for Kentucky’s farmers,” said Congressman Barr. “Today’s bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a five-year farm bill will provide much needed certainty and stability for producers while reducing spending authority and eliminating wasteful direct payments.
“I am especially glad that this fiscally responsible bill will allow Kentucky to move forward with pilot programs for industrial hemp cultivation and includes increased assistance to our food banks. This bill also ensures that communities in the Sixth District, including Nicholasville and Georgetown, will maintain access to USDA rural development and housing programs that are critical to Kentucky families.”
More on Agricultural Act of 2014:
- Strengthens and modernizes the crop insurance program to ensure that farmers have better risk management tools to endure weather disasters and market volatility
- Repeals outdated programs and consolidates duplicative ones, eliminating nearly 100 programs or authorizations
- Ends wasteful direct payments
- Strengthens conservation efforts to protect land, water and wildlife for future generations
- Increases assistance to food banks and maintains food assistance for families while addressing fraud and misuse in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), the first reforms since welfare reform in 1996