1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov April 3, 20192018 Farm Bill Primer: The Farm Safety NetOverview The federal “farm safety net” provides risk protection and financial support to U.S. farmers. The three components of the farm safety net are (1) farm commodity programs, (2) crop insurance, and (3) disas
2、ter assistance programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the farm safety net programs. The 2018 farm bill (Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334) made several modifications to existing farm programs but largely left the farm safety net intact. See Figure 1 for proj
3、ected cost estimates and Table 1 for program details and a list of related CRS reports. 1. Farm Commodity Programs Farm commodity programs provide a floor price and income support for eligible commodities and producers. They are authorized by periodic farm bills, most recently by the 2018 farm bill
4、for the 2019-2023 crop years. The marketing assistance loan (MAL) program provides both a floor price and interim financing for so-called loan commodities. A participating producer may put a harvested “loan” crop under a nine-month, nonrecourse loan valued at a statutory commodity loan rate. Then th