Farm Bill FAQ

What is the Farm Bill?
The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that guides and authorizes funding for most federal farm and food policies, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Every five years, Congress renews the Farm Bill through the reauthorization process.

What’s in the Farm Bill for Food and Nutrition?
Title IV of the Farm Bill covers domestic food and nutrition and commodity distribution programs, including:

For Americans below the Poverty Line:

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Food Stamps
  • The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

For Seniors:

  • Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
  • Seniors Famers’ Markets

For Children and Low Income Families:

  • USDA Snack Program
  • Community Food Project Grants

For American Indians:

  • Food Distribution Programs
  • Natively grown food support
  • For Urban Agriculture:
  • Urban Food Enterprise Development Center

Miscellaneous:

  • Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship Program
  • The Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship Program
  • The Hunger-Free Communities Collaborative Grant Program
  • The Hunger-Free Communities Infrastructure Grant Program

In Congress, who has responsibility for the Farm Bill?
In the House, the House Agriculture Committee has jurisdiction over the Farm Bill. In the Senate, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee has jurisdiction.

Why is the Farm Bill Important?
The Farm Bill is important because SNAP, along with other food and nutrition programs, is authorized and funded through this bill. SNAP is one of the seven strategies essential to meeting the goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015, and the Farm Bill is an opportunity to make needed improvements to SNAP that will help America reach that goal.