On Tuesday, November 8 voters across the country will cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm election. Inflation, abortion, health care, immigration, and gun safety are the top issues for most Americans.
Voters should also be thinking about the Farm Bill, a behemoth piece of legislation passed roughly once every five years that includes policies and programs on everything from nutrition and food security to conservation to commodities to helping historically disadvantaged farmers. The Farm Bill is drafted by Members of Congress on the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, meaning that the legislators we elect in the 2022 midterms will be the ones drafting the upcoming Farm Bill in 2023.
Programs covered in the Farm Bill include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Conservation and Microloans to farmers and ranchers, Organic Crop Insurance, Community Food Projects, the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, and much more. In 2021, President Biden announced an increase of more than 25 percent in SNAP benefits from pre-pandemic levels–the largest rise in the program’s history. SNAP benefits do increase annually with inflation, but the recent rapid rise in inflation and grocery costs means that many Americans on SNAP are experiencing a significant gap in affording food for themselves and their families. The Farm Bill helps shape the food we produce and sell across America, which means that it touches every person’s day-to-day life. Research shows that the majority of American support SNAP benefits and trust farmers, making the Farm Bill a critical piece of legislation.
Whether the Farm Bill or another issue is top of mind for you this year, the most important thing to do is to make a plan to vote. Learn your state’s election deadlines, rules around absentee voting, early voting locations, and polling locations and hours on November 8 and get out there and vote!
Learn more about how and where you can vote at vote.org.
