Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow’s farm bill proposal, The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, would boost reference prices by at least 5% for major commodities. It also rejects the House bill’s proposed $28 billion reduction in SNAP. Some commodities could see 10% to 15% increases due to the escalator provision in the 2018 farm law. It automatically raises reference prices when there is a multi-year run of high market prices.

The proposed bill strengthens support for specialty crops by including the first-ever specialty crops insurance subtitle. This helps ensure that specialty crop farmers have a voice in policy decisions. It also builds on the Dairy Margin Coverage safety net to help dairy farmers protect against milk price drops or high feed costs.

The proposed bill also permanently authorizes conservation programs for the first time. It brings all of the conservation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act into the farm bill and maintains its focus on addressing the climate crisis.

Read more on the proposed Senate farm bill here.

The five-page summary of Thompson’s plan is available here. A seven-page summary of Stabenow’s bill is available here.