Elections, Farm Bill and congressional shifts ahead
As the seed industry braces for potential shifts after the 2024 elections, Janae Brady, Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), provided a comprehensive federal affairs update at the ASTA Turf and Forage convention in Kansas City. With crucial legislative deadlines approaching, Brady detailed the industry’s advocacy efforts, upcoming congressional challenges and ASTA’s key priorities for the Farm Bill and other policies affecting the seed sector.
A Limited Window for Legislative Action
With Congress currently out of session in October for election campaigns, Brady noted that lawmakers have little time to address essential legislative items before the end of the year.
“You’ll see that the month of October is completely white. That means that Congress is not in session this month,” Brady explained, referencing the congressional calendar. “After the election, they’re going to kick back in full gear. And the yellow days are the days that we have the House and Senate in session—that’s about five weeks, give or take, of time that they have to do any legislative work for the remainder of the year.”
Brady emphasized that two key legislative actions must be addressed by Dec. 20.
“First and foremost is the appropriations policy. Right now, we are working under a continuing resolution, a stopgap that allows our government to remain funded through December 20,” she said. “So something’s going to have to happen between now and December 20 that will allow the government to remain funded.”
The Clock is Ticking on Farm Bill Reauthorization
Brady detailed the status of the Farm Bill reauthorization, which remains one of the most important pieces of legislation for the seed and agricultural industries. With time running out for Congress to pass a new Farm Bill, she outlined several possible outcomes.
“I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the Farm Bill, partly because many of you have heard me give this spiel over and over again for the last few years,” she said, but recognized that many are still closely following its progress. “We are operating under the current authority.”
Brady explained that some programs such as conservation initiatives will continue for the moment. However, “Congress is going to have to do something to be able to continue Farm Bill authority,” she said.
Brady laid out four potential paths forward:
“It could be that there’s just another straight extension for another year, or it could even be two years—whatever Congress decides of the existing 2018 Farm Bill. A more likely scenario is an extension-plus, which would be a straight extension with some additional funding for commodity programs.”
She also mentioned the possibility of seeing a full Farm Bill reauthorized for another five years but conceded that this option is becoming less likely as time runs out.
Fix Forests Act and Native Seed Supply
Moving beyond the Farm Bill, Brady brought attention to other legislative initiatives that are critical to the seed industry, particularly the Fix Forests Act, which includes provisions for the domestic seed supply.
“This particular bill outlines a strategy for the Department of Interior working with other agencies to try and support additional coordination,” Brady said. While primarily focused on the forest industry, “there are two pages of legislative language that focus on domestic seed supply.”
She also highlighted another legislative measure—the National Interagency Seed and Restoration Center Establishment Act, which aims to promote conservation and the restoration of native plant communities. However, she is concerned over a lack of industry input thus far.
Preparing for a New Congress
As the nation heads into the final days before the 2024 election, Brady warned of the potential shifts that could occur depending on the outcome.
“We’re going to have an entirely new Congress that’s sworn in, so a whole new host of folks for us to build relationships and work with on behalf of the seed industry,” she said.
Brady reiterated that educating new members of Congress would be a top priority.
“Every two years we have new faces. We have retiring champions. We have people come in that know nothing about agriculture, nothing about the seed industry,” she said, underlining how important it is to provide lawmakers with a strong understanding of how critical the seed industry is to agriculture and conservation efforts.
The election could also impact significant climate initiatives introduced under the current administration.
“Programs like the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities…we don’t know what that means in the future,” Brady explained. “If a future administration will continue that, build upon it, or end it—it really depends on who is elected, who is confirmed, and what their priorities are.
