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• Consumers and Food Price Inflation [April 14, 2011]

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  "The heightened commodity price volatility of 2008 and 2010 and the subsequent acceleration in U.S. food price inflation associated with those market shifts raised concerns and generated many questions about farm and food price movements by Members of Congress and their constituents. This report responds to those concerns by addressing the nature and measurement of retail food price inflation. For a discussion of the relationship between farm and retail prices, and the major factors influencing retail food prices, see CRS Report R40621, Farm-to-Food Price Dynamics. During the 1991 to 2006 period, U.S. food prices were fairly stable--annual food price inflation, as measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all food (excluding alcoholic beverages), averaged a relatively low 2.5%. However, several economic factors emerged in late 2005 that began to gradually push market prices higher for both raw agricultural commodities and energy costs, and ultimately retail food prices. U.S. food price inflation increased at a rate of 4% in 2007 and at 5.5% in 2008--the highest since 1990 and well above the general inflation rate of 3.8%."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe; Schnepf, Randall Dean, 1954-

  2011-04-14
• Consumers and Food Price Inflation [November 4, 2009]

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  "The heightened commodity price volatility of 2008 and the subsequent acceleration in U.S. food price inflation raised concerns and generated many questions about farm and food price movements by Members of Congress and their constituents. This report responds to those concerns by addressing the nature and measurement of retail food price inflation. For a discussion of the relationship between farm and retail prices, and the major factors influencing retail food prices, see CRS Report R40621, Farm-to-Food Price Dynamics."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe; Schnepf, Randall Dean, 1954-

  2009-11-04
• Federal Food Assistance in Disasters: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita [September 23, 2005]

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  "There are a number of federal food assistance efforts that can provide help in the case of disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The most important are the Food Stamp program, child nutrition programs (e.g., school meal programs), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (the WIC program), and federally donated food commodities delivered through relief organizations and emergency shelters/congregate feeding sites.1 In addition, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) can play a limited role, if they have commodities available and providers are geographically positioned to help. Authorities under the Food Stamp Act, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and Agriculture Department laws relating to the acquisition of commodities provide the Department with the ability to change program rules and acquire and distribute food in response to disasters."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe

  2005-09-23
• Federal Food Assistance in Disasters Hurricanes Katrina and Rita [February 23, 2006]

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  "The Food Stamp program, child nutrition programs, and federally donated food commodities delivered through relief organizations provide major support in disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Existing laws authorize the Agriculture Department to change eligibility and benefit rules to facilitate emergency aid, and, in the short term, funding and federally provided food commodities are available without the need for additional appropriations. With regard to the Katrina and Rita hurricanes, numerous food assistance program rules were waived - e.g., granting one to three months of food stamp benefits to affected households, authorizing free school meals to affected children, and greatly easing eligibility documentation requirements. However, Congress faced a number of issues with regard to the longer term - e.g., who should pay for extra administrative costs, whether to extend the application of disaster rules beyond one to three months, costs associated with replenishing commodity stocks used to help hurricane victims, additional funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (the WIC program) in affected areas, how to deal with those made temporarily eligible (like some noncitizens normally barred from participation in food stamps), and whether to increase normal benefits and further loosen eligibility rules for those affected."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe

  2006-02-23
• Federal Food Assistance: Hurricance Katrina [September 13, 2005]

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  "The Agriculture Department has effectively waived most eligibility and benefit rules governing food assistance programs for those affected by Hurricane Katrina, making them automatically eligible for maximum benefits. It also is providing substantial amounts of direct food aid drawn from its commodity stocks. However, a number of potential issues remain, for example, paying for administrative and commodity distribution costs, how long to continue current waiver policies, the degree of equity in current food stamp waiver rules, and whether to provide more than current maximum benefits to hurricane victims. This report will be updated."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe

  2005-09-13
• Food Price Inflation: Causes and Impacts

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  "U.S. food prices rose 4% in 2007 and are expected to gain 3.5% to 4.5% in 2008. Higher farm commodity prices and energy costs are the leading factors behind higher food prices. Farm commodity prices have surged because (1) demand for corn for ethanol is competing with food and feed for acreage; (2) global food grain and oilseed supplies are low due to poor harvests; (3) rising incomes in large, rapidly emerging economies have changed eating habits; and (4) the weak dollar has increased U.S. exports. In addition, higher energy costs increase transportation, processing, and retail costs. Although the cost of commodities such as corn or wheat are a small part of the final retail price of most food products, they have risen enough to have an impact on retail prices. Generally, price changes at the farm level have a diminished impact on retail prices, especially for highly processed products. The impact of higher food prices on U.S. households varies according to income. Lower-income households spend a greater portion of their income on food and feel price hikes more acutely than high-income families. Higher food costs impact domestic food assistance efforts in numerous ways depending on whether benefits are indexed, enrollments are limited, or additional funds are made available. Higher food and transportation costs also reduce the impact of U.S. contributions of food aid under current budget constraints."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Capehart, Tom; Richardson, Joe

  2008-04-10
• Farm Bill Legislative Action in the 110th Congress [Updated June 19, 2008]

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  "'On May 14, 2008, the House passed the conference agreement on the 2008 farm bill (H.R. 2419, The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) by a vote of 318-106. The next day, the Senate passed the same bill by a vote of 81-15. Concurrently, on May 14, both the House and Senate passed, by voice vote, the final temporary extension of current law lasting until the earlier of May 23, 2008, or the date the 2008 farm bill was signed into law. […] The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the total cost of the 2008 bill (i.e., baseline plus new funding, using the March 2007 baseline) at just under $287 billion over FY2008-FY2012. Of the $287 billion in total five-year budget authority for programs under the new law -- not including revenue and cost-offset provisions in the bill -- about $42 billion (14%) in projected spending will support commodity crops, $189 billion (65%) will support the cost of food stamps and commodity assistance, $24 billion (8%) will support conservation programs, and $22 billion (8%) will support crop insurance. Another $8 billion is expected to be spent on trade, horticulture and livestock production, rural development, research, forestry and energy, and other programs. For FY2008-FY2012, the conference bill also includes nearly $4 billion in costs to pay for supplemental disaster assistance (included under Title XV). Over the full 10-year period (2008-2017), other tax-related provisions in that bill title, particularly from customs user fees in the bill, will generate additional funding for provisions throughout the conference bill, including in the nutrition, conservation, and energy titles, among others. This report will be updated."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Marples, Donald; Richardson, Joe; Schnepf, Randall Dean, 1954- . . .

  2008-06-19
• Farm Bill Legislative Action in the 110th Congress [Updated June 13, 2008]

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  "On May 14, 2008, the House passed the conference agreement on the 2008 farm bill (H.R. 2419, The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) by a vote of 318-106. The next day, the Senate passed the same bill by a vote of 81-15. Concurrently, on May 14, both the House and Senate passed, by voice vote, the final temporary extension of current law lasting until the earlier of May 23, 2008, or the date the 2008 farm bill was signed into law. On May 21, the Bush Administration vetoed the legislation. Both the House and the Senate voted to override the veto, and the conference bill became law on May 22, 2008 (P.L. 110-234). […] The conference agreement contains 15 titles covering support for commodity crops, horticulture and livestock production, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development, energy, forestry, and other related programs. It also includes tax-related provisions that would make certain changes to tax laws, in order to offset new spending initiatives in the respective bills. The bill is intended to replace the most recent 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) and to guide most federal farm and food policies through FY2012. Many provisions of the 2002 farm bill expired in September 2007, but were extended under a series of temporary extensions enacted during the farm bill debate."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Jickling, Mark; Johnson, Renée; Becker, Geoffrey S. . . .

  2008-06-13
• Farm Bill Legislative Action in the 110th Congress [Updated May 9, 2008]

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  "The farm bill governs federal farm and food policy and is renewed about every five years. The 110th Congress is seeking to revise the current farm bill (P.L. 107- 171), which covers a wide range of programs including commodity price and income support, agricultural conservation, farm credit, research, rural development, and foreign and domestic food programs, among others. The House completed floor action on its version of the farm bill (H.R. 2419) on July 27, 2007. The Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version (S. 2302) on October 25, 2007. On December 14, the Senate completed floor action on the farm bill, which was offered as a substitute to the House bill. Conference negotiations were initially delayed because of differences between committee leadership and the Administration. Consequently, Congress temporarily extended portions of the expiring 2002 farm bill until March 15, 2008, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2008 (P.L. 110-161). Since March, Congress has approved a one-month extension, followed by three consecutive short-term extensions lasting through May 16. […] Provisions in both the House and Senate farm bills seek many of the same types of changes to existing legislation and programs, but there are numerous differences. For farm commodities (Title I), both the House and Senate bills generally continue the framework of the 2002 farm bill, with certain changes to payment limitations and support prices for some commodities; however, the bills differ regarding other proposed programmatic changes. Both bills also add new provisions to address horticulture and livestock issues, and expand borrowing opportunities for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Johnson, Renée; Becker, Geoffrey S.; Capehart, Tom . . .

  2008-05-09
• Farm Bill Legislative Action in the 110th Congress [Updated April 10, 2008]

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  "The farm bill governs federal farm and food policy and is renewed about every five years. The 110th Congress is seeking to revise the current farm bill (P.L. 107- 171), which covers a wide range of programs including commodity price and income support, agricultural conservation, farm credit, research, rural development, and foreign and domestic food programs, among others. The House completed floor action on its version of the farm bill (H.R. 2419) on July 27, 2007. The Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version (S. 2302) on October 25, 2007. On December 14, the Senate completed floor action on the farm bill, which was offered as a substitute to the House bill. Conference negotiations have been delayed because of differences between committee leadership and the Administration. Consequently, Congress temporarily extended portions of the expiring 2002 farm bill until March 15, 2008, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2008 (P.L. 110-161). […] The nutrition title (Title IV) of both bills diverge substantially on both the total level of new funding provided for nutrition programs and the allocation of the new funding among programs. However, in most cases, the bills include very similar policy changes: increased food stamp benefits and loosened eligibility standards, and increased funding for fresh fruits and vegetables in most domestic food programs. For conservation (Title II), international trade and food aid (Title III), credit (Title V), rural development (Title VI), research (Title VII), forestry (Title VIII), and energy (Title IX), both bills reauthorize, expand, and/or modify many of the existing programs, create new programs and initiatives, or allow some programs to expire. For credit, both bills expand borrowing opportunities for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Hanrahan, Charles; Gorte, Ross W.; Cowan, Tadlock . . .

  2008-04-10
• Domestic Food Assistance: The Farm Bill and Other Legislation in the 110th Congress [Updated August 22, 2008]

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  "The nutrition title of the omnibus 2008 'farm bill' is the focus of legislation affecting domestic food assistance programs in the 110th Congress. The program areas that are addressed include the regular Food Stamp program, programs operating in lieu of food stamps (e.g., Puerto Rico, Indian reservations), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Community Food Projects, the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, initiatives to provide fresh fruit and vegetable in schools, and newly proposed nutrition and health promotion or support projects. Other nutrition programs (child nutrition and WIC programs) have not been a major part of the active legislative debate, although a number of bills noted in this report address them, and some legislative changes affecting them are part of appropriations law and the farm bill. The 2008 farm bill has been enacted as P.L. [Public Law] 110-246. The nutrition title of this law has a projected new cost of about $3 billion over the next 5 years (FY2008- FY2012) and well over $9 billion over the next 10 years (FY2008-FY2017). The major share of this spending is due to changes in food stamp rules -- increasing benefits and loosening eligibility standards -- and expansion of support for TEFAP and fresh fruit and vegetable initiatives."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe

  2008-08-22
• Agriculture, Nutrition, and Rural Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 [February 23, 2009]

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  "On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, P.L. [Public Law] 111-5). The ARRA is a response to the depth of the economic recession facing the United States (and the rest of the world) at the beginning of 2009. It is billed as an economic stimulus package to improve the situation of individuals and businesses. The ARRA boosts government spending on various infrastructure programs and government benefits programs, and offers individual and business tax benefits. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the ARRA will cost $787 billion over 10 years, although most of its budget authority is slated for two fiscal years (FY2009-FY2010). Agriculture programs--including nutrition assistance, rural development, farmer assistance, and conservation--would receive about $26.6 billion of the $787 billion in the enacted ARRA (about 3.4%)."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Monke, James; Richardson, Joe; Stubbs, Megan . . .

  2009-02-23
• Child Nutrition and WIC Legislation in the 108th and 109th Congresses [Updated May 23, 2006]

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  "Child nutrition programs (e.g., school meal programs, summer food service, child care food programs) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (the WIC Program) are subject to periodic comprehensive reviews, when appropriations and other authorities expire and have to be reauthorized. They were up for reauthorization review in the 108th Congress, and the only substantial child nutrition-WIC legislation in the 108th Congress, and so far in the 109th Congress, has been the 2004 reauthorization law -- the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, P.L. 108-265, enacted June 30, 2004. The 2004 law extended virtually all expiring authorities through FY2009 and contained important, but incremental, changes in child nutrition programs and the WIC program; the Congressional Budget Office estimated that it will generate net new spending totaling about $230 million through FY2009. Its major feature was a set of amendments aimed at improving the integrity and administration of the school meal programs. […] Another area of concern addressed by the reauthorization law was nutrition, health, and nutrition education. Here, the biggest initiative was a requirement that all schools participating in school meal programs establish locally designed 'wellness policies' to set nutrition, physical activity, and other goals and strategies for meeting them. Coupled with it were (1) authorizations for new nutrition education efforts, (2) an expansion of the program offering free fresh fruit and vegetables in selected schools, and (3) significant changes in food safety rules. Finally, a large number of revisions were made to the law governing the WIC program."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe

  2006-05-23
• Previewing a 2007 Farm Bill [Updated January 3, 2007]

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  "Federal farm support, food assistance, agricultural trade, marketing, and rural development policies are governed by a variety of separate laws. However, many of these laws periodically are evaluated, revised, and renewed through an omnibus, multi-year 'farm bill.' The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. [Public Law] 107-171) was the most recent omnibus farm bill, and many of its provisions expire in 2007, so reauthorization is expected to be addressed in the first session of the 110th Congress. The heart of every omnibus farm bill is farm income and commodity price support policy -- namely, the methods and levels of support that the federal government provides to agricultural producers. However, farm bills typically include titles on agricultural trade and foreign food aid, conservation and environment, forestry, domestic food assistance (primarily food stamps), agricultural credit, rural development, agricultural research and education, and marketing-related programs. Often, such 'miscellaneous' provisions as food safety, marketing orders, animal health and welfare, and energy are added. This omnibus nature of the farm bill creates a broad coalition of support among sometimes conflicting interests for policies that, individually, might not survive the legislative process. The scope and direction of a new farm bill may be shaped by such factors as financial conditions in the agricultural economy, competition among various interests, international trade obligations, and -- possibly most important -- a tight limit on federal funds."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Womach, Jasper; Becker, Geoffrey S.; Chite, Ralph M. . . .

  2007-01-03
• Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2007 Appropriations [Updated July 6, 2006]

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  "The Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes all of USDA (except the Forest Service), plus the Food and Drug Administration and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. On June 22, 2006, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported the FY2007 agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 5384, S.Rept. 109-266). The full House passed its version on May 23, 2006. […] The House bill would allow prescription drug importation, and the Senate bill would facilitate travel to Cuba for selling licensed agricultural and medical goods. Both provisions have drawn veto threats from the White House in previous years. […] Both bills reject an Administration proposal to terminate the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Moreover, the House bill would provide $25 million of discretionary funds to expand a fresh fruit and vegetable program to school in all states, while the Senate bill would add $9 million in discretionary funds to a $9 million mandatory pool. This report will be updated as events warrant."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Jickling, Mark; Thaul, Susan; Richardson, Joe . . .

  2006-07-06
• Federal Response to Calls for Increased Aid from USDA's Food Assistance Programs [February 17, 2010]

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  "Domestic food assistance programs typically make up a large portion of federal spending for needy households during economic downturns. The need for, participation in, and the costs of these programs -- like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp program) -- have grown dramatically. In response to the recent downturn, the Administration and Congress have taken major steps to change food assistance program policies to open up program access and to increase federal funding. Most important, SNAP benefits have been increased across the board and eligibility rules have been substantially loosened. The Administration's FY2011 budget proposes to continue funding for most of these steps. This report will be updated to reflect action on the FY2011 budget and significant changes in participation and spending figures."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Richardson, Joe

  2010-02-17