The 2012 Farm Bill's reach: unintended consequences of a failure to update or extend the 2008 Act

Abstract

In the absence of Congressional action, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (a.ka. the '2008 Farm Bill') will expire on September 30, 2012. However, the potential expiration of the provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill does not mean producers will operate in a policy vacuum. Rather, the provisions of 'permanent' – so-called because they were enacted without expiration dates – legislation takes effect. For most commodity producers, the relevant legislation is the Agricultural Act of 1949 as well as certain provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. In contrast, for most others impacted by the 2008 Act, the implications represent greater uncertainty about the delivery of programs. This report evaluates the potential consequences of reversion to the 1949 Act, each of the three main programmatic areas will be discussed in turn.