The entire issue is on farm bill issues with articles covering every title of the farm bill. 80 Years of Farm Bills—Evolutionary Reform by Carl Zulauf and David Orden,The Nutrition Title’s Long, Sometimes Strained, but Not Yet Broken, Marriage with the Farm Bill by Parke Wilde, The Next Farm Bill May Present Opportunities for Hybrid Farm-Conservation Policies by Jonathan Coppess, The Farm Safety Net for Field Crops by Gary Schnitkey and Carl Zulauf, the Federal Interventions in Milk Markets by Andrew M. Novakovic and Christopher Wolf and Federal Benefits for Livestock and Specialty Crop Producers by Stephanie Mercier.
The titles discussed in these papers account for over 99% of farm bill spending and the actors interested in these titles will have important sway over not just their title but the entire farm bill. However, the farm bill’s scope extends much further. In addition to traditional titles such as research and extension, trade, credit and rural development, it includes contemporary issues such as the growing role of local and organic food production, land and farm preservation, and privately owned forests. Most farm bills contain surprises. Unforeseen issues, new actors, and new programmatic proposals change the landscape. Research uncovers a new, important inefficiency. Weather changes crop prices. Given the 2016 Presidential campaign, trade could be a change catalyst. The next farm bill will not only provide new research and outreach opportunities for economists but also many opportunities to participate in the national dialogue that is the farm bill. We, the authors, invite you to join this American participatory experience.