WASHINGTON – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) celebrates the passage of an extension to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill, which had expired on September 30) until September 2024. The Senate’s passage yesterday of the House continuing resolution means the government will avoid a shutdown and lawmakers will have time to develop a comprehensive five-year farm bill. President Biden is expected to sign the extension, which is included in the continuing resolution to fund the government, this week.

“The growing impacts from the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill required immediate attention – we’re pleased to see an extension that fully funds key ‘orphan’ programs that help farmers access higher-value organic markets and expand access to agricultural education,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director. 

“While the extension offers a degree of stability and much-needed breathing room, we’ll soon be more than five years removed from the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. The intervening years have been among the most tumultuous in our nation’s history – as an increasingly disruptive and changing climate, the COVID-19 pandemic and societal impacts, and a long-overdue racial justice reckoning conspired to thoroughly unveil the fragility of our current food system,” Lavender noted, adding that: 

“Farmers, ranchers, and food system stakeholders deserve updated federal policy that levels the playing field, invests in a climate resilient future, and advances racial equity. We implore Congress to pass a strong, bipartisan farm bill in early 2024.”