This fall, Congress has an important opportunity to create jobs and grow the economy by passing a
long-term, comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill. The Farm Bill impacts every American, every day by
providing a wide range of programs that strengthen our nation.The Farm Bill is crucial to maintaining a
strong agriculture sector and an abundant food supply that benefits all Americans. Over the past two years,
producers have faced a multitude of disasters – from drought, to flooding, to blizzards. These events
demonstrate how important the safety net is to keeping producers going strong. Under the 2008 Farm Bill, the
Farm Service Agency was able to provide $149,657,306.00 in disaster assistance in Ohio using Farm Bill
programs.A new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would provide a strong crop insurance program, reauthorize the
now-expired disaster assistance programs, and provide retroactive assistance for livestock producers.By
reforming the safety net to eliminate the direct payment program – which pays producers whether or not they
are in need of assistance – the Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would also save billions of dollars in the next
decade.In addition, it would allow USDA to continue export promotion efforts that have led to the best
five-year period in agricultural trade in American history, and provide FSA with the tools to extend
additional farm credit in Ohio.The Farm Bill is also a job creation bill that would empower USDA to partner
with rural communities to grow, expand and support new businesses.A new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would help
Main Street businesses grow and hire more, strengthen infrastructure in our small towns and provide new
opportunities in biobased product manufacturing and renewable energy. For example, in Ohio, USDA has
provided more than 267 projects since 2009 to help farmers, ranchers and rural businesses save energy
through the Rural Energy for America Program. These Farm Bill programs have also helped to establish farm
markets, food hubs and urban agriculture projects throughout the state as part of a vibrant local foods
movement. These and many other efforts could continue with a new Farm Bill.A new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill
would make important investments in nutrition programs that provide critical assistance to vulnerable
Americans, including children, seniors, people with disabilities who are unable to work, and returning
veterans. It would enable USDA to continue our work with more than 500,000 producers and landowners to
conserve the soil and water. It would undertake new strategies to improve agricultural research, and it
would ensure a safe food supply.All of these efforts strengthen our nation. A new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill
would continue the job growth we’ve seen in recent years and help grow the rural economy. That’s why
President Obama has identified passage of a new Farm Bill as one of his top three legislative priorities
this fall.This is a prime opportunity to give America’s farmers, ranchers and producers the certainty they
need about the next five years of U.S. farm policy, while investing in the rural communities that stand at
the heart of our values. The Farm Bill has stood as a model of bipartisan consensus for decades and it is
high time that both Democrats and Republicans come to a compromise on this new Farm Bill. It is our hope
that Senate and House conferees will reach a consensus quickly and move a Farm Bill forward as soon as
possible.(Editor’s note: Anthony Logan is the State Director for the USDA Ohio Rural Development Agency;
while Steve Maurer serves as State Executive Director for the USDA Ohio Farm Service Agency.)