Summary of the 2008 Farm Bill

This section of our website provides sources of information on the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), which was enacted in part on May 22, 2008.   The site will be under construction over the next few months as new information becomes available and related new materials are added.  Please come back often to see what's new.

As with other sections of this website by clicking on an active link, you may generate an expanded menu.  To make this menu disappear, click on the link again.  Contact Brian Gould if you have ideas on useful information that should be included in this site.

• 2008 Farm Bill Fact Sheets:  Wisconsin Focus

  This is a collection of brief fact sheets authored by UW faculty and others that describe selected parts of the new bill, focusing on Wisconsin impact.   Each fact sheet contains links to an expanded set of materials covering the topic, including briefing papers, decision aids, and related web sites.

  • Overall Farm Bill Summary
  • Title I:  Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payments Summary
  • Title I:  Payment Limitations
  • Title I:  Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program
  • Title I:  Dairy Subtitle Summary
  • Title II:  Conservation
  • Title IV:  Nutrition
  • Title V:  Credit
  • Title VII:  Research
  • Title X:  Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
  • Title XV (Subtitle C):  Tax Provisions
• Side by Side Comparisons of the Old and New Farm Bills by the Economic Research Service of USDA
• 2008 Farm Bill Fact Sheets, House Version

  These are fact sheets obtained from the House Agriculture Committee.

  • Title I:  Commodity Programs
  • Title II:  Conservation
  • Title III:  Trade
  • Title IV:  Nutrition
  • Title V:  Credit
  • Title VI:  Rural Development
  • Title VII:  Research
  • Title VIII:  Forestry
  • Title IX:  Energy
  • Title X:  Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
  • Title XI:  Livestock
  • Title XII:  Crop Insurance
  • Title XIII:  Commodity Futures
  • Title XIV:  Miscellaneous
• 2008 Farm Bill Fact Sheets, Senate Version

  These are fact sheets obtained from the Senate Agriculture, Nurtition and Forestry Committee.

  • General Overview
  • Title I:  Commodity Programs
  • Title II:  Conservation
  • Title III:  Trade
  • Title IV:  Nutrition
  • Title V:  Credit
  • Title VI:  Rural Development
  • Title VII:  Research
  • Title VIII:  Forestry
  • Title IX:  Energy
  • Title X:  Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
  • Title XI:  Livestock
  • Title XII:  Crop Insurance
  • Title XIII:  Commodity Futures
  • Wildlife
  • Beginning Farmer and Rancher
  • Organic and Locally-Grown Production
  • Small Business Disaster Provisions
  • Socially Disadvantaged and Minority Farmers
• The 2008 Farm Bill

  This section contains the entire 2008 Farm Bill, the Manager's Report as well as individual Titles and specific sub-titles.

  • Entire Farm Bill (Title III Excluded)
  • The Manager's Report details the decisions made by the conference committee in reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the 2008 Farm Bill. The language is less legalistic than the Farm Bill itself, and provides some good background on many provisions.
  • Title I:   Commodity Programs
    • Dairy Subtitle
    • Direct Payments, Counter-Cyclical Payments and Loan Deficiency Payments Subtitles
  • Title II: Conservation
  • Title III: Trade
  • Title IV: Nutrition
  • Title V: Credit
  • Title VI: Rural Development
  • Title VII: Research
  • Title VIII: Forestry
  • Title IX: Energy
  • Title X: Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
  • Title XI: Livestock
  • Title XII: Crop Insurance
  • Title XIII: Commodity Futures
  • Title XIV: Miscellaneous
  • Title XV: Trade and Tax Provisions
• Senate and House Agriculture Committee Websites

  The following are the websites of the House and Senate committees that crafted the 2008 Farm Bill.  There is a complete history of the evolution of these bills and lots of background material.

  • House Agriculture Committee
  • Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
• Farm Service Agency (FSA) Fact Sheets

  These are fact sheets are obtained from the FSA of USDA.  Those dated prior to 2008 are subject to change given the passage of the 2008 Farm Bill.   Regardless, these should provide useful background information.

  Title I
  • Commodity Credit Corporation (Nov. '99)
  • Commodity Operations (May '07)
  • Dairy Indemnity Payment Program (Mar. '03)
  • Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program (Mar. '06)
  • FSA-Adminstered Programs (May '05)
  • Milk Income Loss Contract Program (June '07)
  • Milk Price Support Program (Aug. '04)
  • Nonrecourse Marketing Assistance Loan and Loan Deficiency Payment Program (June '07)
  • Payment Eligibility and Limitations (May '07)
  
  Title II
  • Conservation Reserve Program (May '07)
  • Conservation Reserve Program - Wisconsin Enhancement Program (Oct. '01)
  
  Title V
  • Farm Loan Information Chart (Oct. '07)
  • Farm Loan Programs Funding - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Dec. '06)
  • Farm Loan Programs Streamlining (Nov. '07)
  • Farm Loans (Oct. '07)
  • Loans for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (Oct. '07)
  • Loans For Socially Disadvantaged Persons (Minorities and Women) (Dec. '06)
  
  Title IX
  • Bioenergy Program (Aug. '04)
  • Questions and Answers: &nb Bioenergy Program (Aug. '04)
• 2008 Farm Bill Education Conference

  This ia a collection of presentations that were given at the 2008 Farm Bill Education Conference, July 8-9, 2008, Kansas City Missouri and hosted by the University of Nebraska.

  • Overview of the 2008 Farm Bill, Bradley D. Lubben, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • ML, DP, CCP, and ACRE, Joe L. Outlawn, Texas A&M University
  • Standing Disaster Program, G.A. Barnaby, Jr, Kansas State University
  • The Dairy Subtitle of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, Brian W. Gould, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 2008 Farm Bill Conference Agreement:  Sugar Provisions, P. Lynn Kennedy, Lousiana State University
  • Overview of Title XI:  Livestock, Bradley D. Lubben, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Esendugue Fonsah, University of Georgia
  • Commodity Program Impacts and Analysis for Midwest Producers, Carl Zulauf, Ohio State University
  • ACRE VS DCP:  Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Michael R. Dicks, Oklahoma State University
  • The Impacts of The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 Policies on Southern Agriculture The Trade Title & The FCEA Linkage to U.S. WTO Commitments, Mechel S. Paggi, California State University - Fresno
  • Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008:  Title II - Conservation, Andy Seidl, Colorado State University
  • Working Lands Program:  Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Jim Pease, Virginia Tech University
  • Title VI:   Rural Development, Mark A. Edelman, Iowa State University
  • The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008:   Title IX - Energy Provisions and Issues, Larry D. Sanders
  • The 2008 Farm Bill:   Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Producers, George Haynes and Vincent Smith, Montana State University
  • Other Issues in the New Farm Bill   Brief Overview of Nutrition and Tax Provisions in H.R. 6124, Craig Infanger, University of Kentucky
  • The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008:  Summary and Possible Consequences, Wes Harris, University of Georgia et al.
• Additional 2008 Farm Bill Related Material

  This ia a collection of addtional material concerned with various aspects of the 2008 Farm Bill.  If you have material that you think you would find useful please contact Prof. Brian W. Gould with your suggestions.

  • Updating the Farm Bill Safety Net in an Expanding Sea of Risk, a Policy Issues publication of the American Agricultural Economics Association, June 2008
  • Researchers at Iowa State Release ACRE Calculators to Help Farmers with New Farm Bill Program
  • The New ACRE Program:  Frequently Asked Questions
  • June '08 Family Dairies Newsletter That Contains a Summary of the Dairy Subtitle (Pt. 1)
  • July '08 Family Dairies Newsletter That Contains a Summary of the Dairy Subtitle (Pt. 2)
  • Summary of Energy Related Provisions authored by the Environmental Law & Policy Center
  • Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) Represents Reform authored by American Farmland Trust
  • Nutrition Title Overview authored by Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
  • Farm Bill Gives Agriculture Research A Higher Profile in the Department authored by Constance Holden, Science Magazine
  • Center for Rural Affairs' Assessment of the 2008 Farm Bill in general and Payment Limitations in particular
  • Food and Agricultural Policy Institute's Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Farm Bill
• The 2008 Farm Bill:  What It Means for the University of Wisconsin-Madison