Washington, DC - Last week, the U.S.  House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, commonly known as the Farm Bill, to reauthorize farm and nutrition assistance programs through Fiscal Year 2022.

This important legislation seeks to provide much needed relief for many dairy farmers in the Ninth District by restructuring the Dairy Risk Management Program as well as expanding availability of the Livestock Gross Margin Dairy insurance policy for dairy producers.

“I was pleased to see that the Farm Bill included my request making clear that milk is an agriculture commodity, and thus eligible for Federal Crop Insurance coverage,” Congressman Shuster said. “It is widely accepted that the Margin Protection Program did not provide our dairy farmers the safety net as intended, and I am encouraged by Congress’s continued dedication to reforming this program.”

“The past administration continually left rural communities behind, and this Farm Bill takes important steps towards getting them back on the path to economic growth.”

H.R. 2 also includes significant reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), authorizes a thirty-three percent increase in funding for critical telehealth grants under the distance Learning and Telehealth Program, authorizes substantial investments for broadband infrastructure loans and grants, and provides $100 million per year to rebuild rural dams and flood protection infrastructure.