THIS WEEK IN
Federal Policy News
August 18, 2022
President Biden Signs the Inflation Reduction Act
On Tuesday, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) after it had passed in the House without any challenges the preceding Friday. While the legislation is intended to reduce the deficit over the next ten years, the primary elements of the bill focus on healthcare and conservation programs. Nearly $20 billion will be dedicated to several agricultural conservation programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and several others. 
 
While the IRA represents a major victory for Democrats, critics have suggested it will do little to address current inflation issues in the short term. The Congressional Budget Office similarly found that short-term inflation is unlikely to be impacted as a result. Given that many of the investments go towards several programs typically funded through the Farm Bill, it remains to be seen what residual impacts the bill might have on these negotiations in this Congress and the next. With the bill fully passed and signed, Members of Congress in both chambers have now resumed their traditional August recess. 
HPAI Cases Confirmed in Sacramento County in Non-Commercial Backyard Flock
On August 11th, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a non-poultry flock here in Sacramento, California. According to their report, the non-commercial backyard flock has been depopulated after infection was established through testing. While the Centers for Disease Control confirms the dangers to humans are relatively low, the broader impact has been the tens of millions of commercial poultry culled as a result of possible exposure.
CAFB Signs Letter to APHIS on Spotted Lanternfly
Last week, the California Farm Bureau sent a letter of support with several other industry partners for the efforts undertaken by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regarding the spotted lanternfly (SLF). APHIS has sought environmental exemptions to more rapidly address potential pest and disease outbreaks, and CFB and other organizations have supported such exemptions related to the SLF. 
 
These insects are an invasive species native to China, which were first discovered in the US in 2014 in Pennsylvania. The species has caused significant crop loss to farmers experiencing infestation, particularly in the grape-growing industry, with some producers reporting up to 90% of grapes being lost. Although no live specimens have been observed in California, the State Departments of Agriculture for Iowa and Michigan have both reported sightings this year, meaning their observed footprint is creeping into the middle of the country. 
California Awarded $1.7 million in RCPP Funding to Improve Pollinator Health
On Tuesday, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced a $1.7 million grant for a conservation program relating to pollinator health across ten counties in California. The program is a farmer-to-farmer collaboration with the goal of increasing the “capacity of California agricultural lands to provide habitat, forage, and other support to wild and managed pollinators, including bees, butterflies and other important invertebrate species.” A broad partnership including the Almond Board of California, Bayer Crop Science and the California Farm Bureau plans to use grower connections to secure the participation of producers across a wide swath of the project's covered area. 
 
NRCS said the projects are being funded using two different RCPP funding opportunities: RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). The Classic projects “are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, partners have more flexibility in working directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic. For more on the wider projects, click below. 
Federal Policy Team
Sara Arsenault
Director of Federal Policy
Matthew Viohl
Federal Policy, Associate Director
Erin Hutson
Federal Policy, Consultant