WASHINGTON – Among its widespread effects, the government shutdown assured the lapse of the farm bill and left many Coloradans with questions about their immediate future.
“The expiration of the farm bill coupled with the federal government shutdown means that rural families and businesses across Colorado will have less support and more uncertainty about the future of the agricultural economy,” U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said in a news release.
The bill, originally a five-year agricultural plan, was set to expire last year but was given a one-year extension, which officially ended Tuesday.
Some Southwest Colorado farmers are frustrated with the government’s inability to pass the bill.
“This is the second straight year that this has expired, so I’m not sure when they were planning to pass it,” said Jim Dyer, a rancher near Marvel.
The lapse of the farm bill because of the government shutdown will revert agricultural policies back to those instated in 1949.
The bill would have helped farmers and ranchers during the current drought, according to Udall’s news release.
Under the 2013 farm bill, ranchers would have received the same insurance for livestock as farmers do for crops. However, expiration of the bill means disaster insurance for livestock will go unpaid.
“Farmers and ranchers throughout my district have told me that to help them survive, especially during the ongoing drought, they need the long-term certainty that the farm bill provides,” Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., said in a news release in July.
The bill also would have doubled the U.S. Forest Service’s annual budget to $200 million for reducing wildfire threats and battling the beetle epidemic in the West, Udall said.
The West Fork Complex fires in Southwest Colorado cost a reported $33 million to fight.
The Forest Service would be allowed access to new air tankers to aid in fighting wildfires, with no additional cost to taxpayers, according to a Tipton news release.
The Forest Service could not be reached for comment about the bill’s expiration because employees there have been furloughed in the wake of the federal government shutdown.
Suzanne Gaber is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald. She can be reached at sgaber@durangoherald.com.
