-
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933 was signed into law on May 12, 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt as part of The New Deal. This act was created in response to the effects that the first world war, The Great Depression, and The Dust Bowl had on American farmers. This created programs to raise crop prices and reduce surplus, and created subsidy payments for farmers in exchange for reducing the production of some commodity crops. -
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1938
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1938 was signed into law on February 16, 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt. Replacing the 1933 AAA, this act continued the 1935 Soil Conservation Act and the 1936 Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, which tackled soil erosion. This 1938 AAA established The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, which has had a lasting impact in farm bills through the continuation of supporting farmers and authorizing federal crop insurance funding. -
Food and Agriculture Act of 1965
The Food and Agriculture Act of 1965 was signed into law on November 4, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This was the first multi-year farm legislature to be passed in U.S. history. Notably, this act provided four year long commodity programs for cotton, wheat, and feed grains. Additionally, it authorized the Class 1 Milk base plan, and enacted the long-term diversion of cropland under The Cropland Adjustment Program. -
Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973
The Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law on August 10, 1973 by President Richard Nixon. This act was designed to stimulate the production to meet rising demand. Introduced was a "target price" payment system, which would pay farmers the difference between market price and a higher target price written into law. Additionally, disaster payment and reserve inventories were authorized. This act was provided forestry incentives to encourage the production of timber. -
Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990
The Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act was signed into law on November 28, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. This act included trade, program commodity, conservation, and more provisions. It amended various existing acts and added new legislation for USDA programs. Additionally, this act established standards for organically produced foods. Most notably, this act was the first to introduce a forestry title included in a farm bill, which established programs to protect forest land. -
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 was signed into law on December 20, 2018 by President Donald Trump. This act reauthorized Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs, as well as modifying some of them. Additionally, this act reauthorized the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and approved two new CRP programs: CLEAR 30, and Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP). Notably, this act modified the experience required for direct farm ownership loans, and increased some loan limits.