The Farm Bill Could Address Climate Change and Structural Racism

The legislation has strayed far from its initial model of labor-minded price floors and supply management to creep into the corners of federal institutions where structural racism thrives

A significant piece of legislation most voters have likely never heard of will spend the summer sitting on the cutting room floor of Congress. When the legislation is ready for a vote, it will ensure people aren’t sentenced to hunger for lack of income, dictate international trade policies, and provide support to a farm system that—depending on who you ask—is either failing or flourishing.

Colloquially known as the Farm Bill, the legislation is responsible for the allocation of billions of dollars over its five-year term. The last Farm Bill, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, had a price tag of more than $800 billion. On its surface, the legislation is a novel-length amalgam of technical programs ostensibly designed to assist farmers. Looking closer at the Farm Bill’s near-100-year history, it’s apparent the omnibus, multiyear law has strayed far from its initial model of labor-minded price floors and supply management and crept further into the corners of federal institutions where structural racism thrives.