AI Summary
5 min readA farmer in Ohio lost half his hay crop to drought last year but broke even thanks to federally subsidized hay insurance. A farmer in Minnesota raising grass-fed beef and lamb has no access to that kind of safety net at all. Both of them are waiting on the same piece of legislation: the farm bill, which Congress is supposed to renew this year.
The farm bill is a massive law Congress revisits roughly every five years. It sets the rules for the food and farm economies, covering everything from commodity subsidies and crop insurance to conservation programs and nutrition assistance. Nutrition programs like SNAP help people pay for food at grocery stores, which in turn supports farmers' income. The bill also determines the payments and assistance some farmers receive directly.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:10) **Farm Bill Season Begins** - Congress is set to debate a new five-year Farm Bill covering agriculture and food assistance.
- 2 (02:56) **Tough Times for Farmers Shape Farm Bill Debate** - The debate over the next Farm Bill arrives amid severe economic pressure on farmers.
- 3 (04:02) **UAE Leaves OPEC** - The United Arab Emirates, the world's eighth largest oil producer, is leaving the OPEC oil cartel.
- 4 (08:13) **Expiring Surveillance Law Sparks Reform Push** - Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire, prompting bipartisan calls for reform.
- 5 Standout Quotes
- 6 “It didn't make us money, but in the end, it did help bring us up to where we at least broke even for the year.” — Scott Myers, Ohio farmer, on federally subsidized hay insurance.
- 7 “I don't have access to any of that kind of a safety net in the farm bill. The only place I can get some help from is through those conservation programs.” — Hannah Bernhardt, Minnesota farmer.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Every five years or so, Congress considers and passes a new version of the farm bill. It is a massive law covering not just agriculture, but also food assistance programs. And it comes at a particularly tough time for farmers, who are being pinched by drought, tariffs, and rising fuel and fertilizer costs. Then, what's the UAE's departure from OPEC mean for oil prices? And later, from "Marketplace Tech," we hear how Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act opens the "backdoor" for warrantless searches.
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