2018 Farm Bill Survey

Transcription

1 2018 Farm Bill Survey In preparation for participating in development of the 2018 Farm Bill, we are surveying producers on key issues that are likely to be considered by Congress during this process. The survey results will be collected and summarized in time for discussion at our upcoming board meeting. Please provide your views on the following questions, and add any comments that you might have on these issues. Thanks for participating! Age State of Residence: Cropland acres farmed 100 to 500 acres 501 to to to 5000 more than 5000 Percentage of cropland acres that you own (versus rented) 0 to 25% owned 25 to 50% 51 to 75% 76 to 100% Crops produced (check all that apply) soybeans corn wheat barley sunflowers canola oats cotton rice sorghum peanuts sugar beets other Which program did you sign up each crop for (overall across all farms) and what percentage of your total base acres across all farms does that crop represent? Crop PLC ARC-County ARC-Individual Regarding your choice(s): Are you happy? Somewhat happy? Indifferent? Somewhat unhappy? Very unhappy?

2 Title 1 Commodities The 2014 Farm Bill allowed producers a one-time opportunity to sign up for either the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) program or the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program on a cropby crop basis. The county ARC program (ARC-CO) provides protection against shallow revenue losses, using a benchmark based on average recent county yields and the national season average price. PLC provides protection against declines in prices below fixed reference prices for covered commodities. There was also an option for individual farm revenue protection under ARC (ARC-IC), but only a small number of producers chose to participate because the coverage level was lower than under ARC-CO. 1. How effective is the ARC-CO program in providing adequate income support for soybeans? Very Effective Mostly Effective No Opinion/Too Early Somewhat Ineffective Very Ineffective 2. One concern about ARC-CO is discrepancies in yields and payments in neighboring counties that can occur when NASS versus RMA yields are used. Did you experience a shortfall in 2014 or 2015 payments compared to producers in other counties in your state as a result of differences in ARC-CO yields? 3. Do you think Congress should change the ARC-CO program to require first use of RMA rather than NASS yields or consider some other modification to make it more equitable? Keep NASS Yields Use RMA Yields

3 4. If ARC-CO is continued in the next farm bill, would you support giving producers the option to update their crop acreage bases to reflect the most recent years? 5. If ARC-CO is continued in the next farm bill, would you support giving producers the option to enroll in ARC-CO and PLC on a crop-by-crop basis, as under the 2014 farm bill, or would you favor allowing just one program for all crops on a farm? Offer Choice Allow Just One Program Not Sure 6. Do you support the market-oriented structure of the ARC payment formula, which uses an Olympic average of prices in the previous five years, and thus adjusts downward or upward each year to reflect variations in prices over time? 7. Are you concerned that the ARC-CO program will not provide an effective safety net when the lower average national prices experienced in recent years are factored into the ARC payment formula? 8. What changes would you make to improve the ARC-IC program?

4 9. What changes would you make to improve the PLC program? % of soybean acres were enrolled in the ARC program vs. the PLC program under the 2014 Farm Bill. The PLC reference price for soybeans is $8.40 per bushel. If another sign-up was held with today s market prices, which program would you select for soybeans for the next five years? ARC-CO PLC Unsure 11. Do you support the counter-cyclical principle reflected in both the ARC and the PLC programs, that payments to farmers should increase when revenues and prices fall and decline when they rise? 12. Do you support the current policy, known as decoupling, under which farm support payments are tied to recent average historical plantings through crop acreage bases rather than to current-year plantings in order to prevent distorting planting decisions? 13. If spending under the next farm bill is reallocated, what would be your priorities for increasing funding among the following programs: increase Title 1 (ARC, PLC) support for soybeans and other crops; improve crop insurance; strengthen conservation programs; increase funding for agricultural research; increase funding for the FMD and MAP export promotion programs (use 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to indicate your priorities). Title 1 Crop Insurance Conservation Ag Research FMD/MAP

5 Title 2 Conservation 1. Are you enrolled in Farm Bill conservation programs? If so, which ones? Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) 2. Have you enrolled in any incentive programs to improve pollinator habitat through FEDERAL (USDA) conservation programs? 3. Have you enrolled in any STATE incentive programs to improve pollinator habitat? 4. Have you enrolled in any STATE incentive programs to improve water quality?

6 5. Have you seeded cover crops on your farm in the past? 6. Do you intend to start seeding cover crops this winter, or in the future? 7. Lower commodity prices have led to discussion of increasing the acreage for CRP in the next farm bill. In the 2014 Farm Bill, the CRP cap was lowered from 32 million acres to 24 million acres, largely as a way to capture the funding for CRP that was not being used because of decreased interest in CRP enrollment. Do you support increasing the cap for CRP? If yes, do you support moving funding from other conservation programs to pay for it? Title 3 International Trade 1. Do you support increasing funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program?

7 2. If you support increasing funding for the MAP and FMD programs and the funding needs to be offset, which title of the Farm Bill would you support having the funds come from? Commodity Title Conservation Title Crop Insurance Oppose Increasing MAP and FMD Funding Unsure 3. Global food security and international agricultural development are important to creating long-term market demand for soybeans in foreign markets. There is interest in placing greater emphasis on these goals in the Trade Title of the next farm bill. Do you support ASA taking an active role in ensuring that food security and international agricultural development are given a more prominent role in the 2018 Farm Bill? Yes No Unsure 4. ASA, along with the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), has a long and productive history of advancing market access for soybeans in developing countries through WISHH S international agricultural development and food security projects. Do you support ASA/WISHH s continued work to advance market access through agricultural development and global food security work? Yes No Unsure 5. USDA and USAID are supporting reform of the current U.S. food assistance program to expand the use of Local and Regional Procurement (LRP) of food. This means purchasing more food aid products in foreign markets instead of shipping U.S.-produced commodities. USDA and USAID want to use this tool where it is more cost effective, time efficient or meets local food preferences. Do you support policies that allow USDA and USAID to use LRP as a food assistance tool? Yes No Unsure

8 Title 7 Research 1. Do you support increasing funding for the research title of the Farm Bill, specifically USDA s flagship competitive research program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)? 2. If you support increasing funding for AFRI and the funding needs to be offset, which title of the Farm Bill would you support having the funds come from? Commodity Title Conservation Title Crop Insurance Oppose Increasing AFRI Funding Unsure Title 9 Energy With new opportunities in bio-based manufacturing, advanced biofuels, and renewable energy, the Agricultural Act of 2014 continues programs that are helping to create jobs while simultaneously reducing our nation s dependence on foreign oil. Following are the primary energy title programs and the mandatory funding levels provided in the 2014 Farm Bill, which totals approximately $700 million over 5 years, down from $1.1 billion in the 2008 Farm Bill Biobased Markets Program - $15 million Biorefinery Assistance Program - $200 million 9005 Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels $75 million 9006 Biodiesel Education Program - $5 million Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) - $250 million 9008 Biomass Research & Development Initiative (BRDI) - $12 million 9010 Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) - $125 million

9 1. In the 2008 and 2014 Farm Bills, ASA supported reauthorization and continued funding for the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, the Biodiesel Education Program, and the Biobased Markets Program. Do you favor continued support for those programs? Yes No Unsure 2. Are there other energy title programs that ASA should include among our priorities or new energy programs ASA should seek to establish? Title 11 Crop Insurance 1. Nearly all soybean acres are enrolled in the ARC program, which does not allow enrollment in the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO). The Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) offers producers additional area-based insurance coverage in combination with coverage by traditional crop insurance policies. Did you buy SCO for any crops grown on your farm, soybeans or other? 2. If Yes on SCO, are you satisfied with how it worked? 3. The 2014 Farm Bill authorized RMA to create the Whole Farm Revenue Policy, a new crop-neutral revenue insurance product for diversified farming operations. Unlike traditional yield or revenue insurance, WFRP is not intended for a single specific crop, but for all the crops and livestock grown or raised on a given farm. In 2015, the number of WFRP policies sold was 34 higher than the number of policies sold under its

10 predecessor program in 2014, although it is still a very small segment of the crop insurance portfolio. Have you purchased or would you consider buying a whole farm policy? Additional Titles The 2014 Farm Bill includes 12 titles, only 6 of which are covered above. All of the titles are listed below. Do you have comments about any Farm Bill provisions that are not included in this survey? Title 1: Commodities Title 2: Conservation Title 3: Trade Title 4: Nutrition Title 5: Credit Title 6: Rural Development Title 7: Research, Extension, and Related Matters Title 8: Forestry Title 9: Energy Title 10: Specialty Crops & Horticulture Title 11: Crop Insurance Title 12: Miscellaneous