Emily Hatch is a law student in the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic and a guest contributor to this blog. On February 15, 2023, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its most recent budget baseline for “USDA Farm Programs,” which projects a ten-year baseline cost for the relevant farm bill programs of over $1.4 trillion (about $140 billion each fiscal…
Kaitlynn Dixon is a law student at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and a guest contributor to this blog. Organic farming was first developed in the early 1900s by agricultural researcher Sir Albert Howard, emphasizing the impact that preserving soil’s natural biome has on crop viability. As agriculture became more industrialized in the 1940s, relying heavily on chemical fertilizers…
Codi Coulter is a law student at Maryland Carey School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. A thriving local food system can improve the economy, the environment, and health, benefitting both consumers and producers. Local food is often sold directly to consumers, and an increased demand for local foods can stimulate jobs throughout the food system. In addition,…
Kipper Berven is a law student in the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic and a guest contributor to this blog. On Tuesday, March 7th, two law students and two instructors from Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic traveled to Washington D.C., joining a student from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law to attend the Farmers for Climate…
Luca Greco is a law student in the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic and a guest contributor to this blog. As Congress turns its attention to the 2023 Farm Bill, climate and conservation are among the top issues. Republicans who have generally opposed provisions aimed at addressing climate change have signaled their concern over new mandatory programs, but have signaled…
Robert Velazquez is a law student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and a guest contributor to this blog. Between the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate there are 535 voting members who determine the future and scope of a farm bill. Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), recently remarked at the…
Codi Coulter is a law student at Maryland Carey School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing March 1 to discuss the 2023 Farm Bill’s conservation and forestry titles. Because agricultural production practices are not one-size-fits-all throughout the United States, a broad theme in the hearing revolved around…
Alyssa Huang is a law student in the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic and a guest contributor to this blog. On February 16, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing to talk about Nutrition Programs in the Farm Bill. The committee invited two witnesses—Stacy Dean, the Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services at…
Emily Hatch is a law student in the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic and a guest contributor to this blog. On February 9, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hosted its second hearing on the 2023 Farm Bill, which focused on commodity programs, crop insurance, and credit. In her opening remarks, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow highlighted the fact that…
Codi Coulter is a law student at Maryland Carey School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 13.5 million U.S. households faced food insecurity at some point in 2021. Households with children, single households, people of color, and low-income households, as well as households in cities, experienced higher rates of food…