The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have written farm bills that contain major revisions in farm commodity programs. Differences in these bills, House bill HR 2854 and Senate bill S 1541, must now be resolved by a Conference Committee, approved by a final vote of both houses of...

Nearly every aspect of Michigan Agriculture is affected by the farm bill. Farm program payments are a major source of income (25 percent of Michigan's net farm income in recent years has come from farm program payments - Figure 1), conservation compliance requirements are beginning to affect...

The future of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will be a pivotal issue in the 1995 farm bill debate. Established under the Food Security Act of 1985, the original objectives of the CRP were to provide a voluntary form of supply control and to reduce soil erosion by retiring highly erodible...

The recently completed round of negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade focused on domestic and international agricultural policies. If this agreement is approved by Congress, U.S. agricultural programs must comply with GATT provisions. The policy choices made during the...

Commodity programs will again be at the center of the debate as consideration of the 1995 farm bill begins. A wide range of alternatives will be proposed as 1995 approaches. Each of these proposals would affect Michigan farmers, regardless of whether they participate in existing farm programs....

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act contains major revisions in farm commodity programs. This paper summarizes the major provision of legislation. Because many program implementation rules must be developed, program participants are advised to consult their local office of the...