CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The first trillion-dollar farm bill in U.S. history is currently on the table as the previous five-year plan is set to expire in September. Lawmakers are now looking to address nutritional and agricultural needs affecting farms nationwide.

What You Need To Know

  • The 2023 Farm Bill is expected to be the most expensive yet  

  • Potential delays could extend the September 30 lifespan and deadline for the farm bill 

  • A draft of the farm bill is expected in September 

Herlocker Farms in Albemarle, North Carolina, has been growing wheat, corn and cotton for three generations.

“We'll grow close to a thousand acres of corn a year, 600 to 800 acres of beans, 500 to 600, 800 of cotton. It depends. Rotations vary,” said Charles Herlocker, farm manager at Herlocker Farms.

Herlocker began plowing fields at his family farm when he was only 10 years old and understands that every day on the farm can look different. Herlocker said some days in the field can be as long as 15 hours with unpredictable changes.

Herlocker said one area of the 2023 Farm Bill he wants lawmakers to take a closer look at is crop insurance, hoping it can provide farmers with a safety net.

“Years ago we didn't have crop insurance and if everything we put out in the spring fails, if it's a drought or if it's too much rain, or if absolutely there's too much of something or you don't get the right price, I mean, there's so many things that could go wrong,” Herlocker said.

After dealing with the effects of inflation, the USDA predicts that farm income will fall by almost 20% this year, leaving farmers hopeful that lawmakers will step in this fall.

“I know there's always that need for this money that gets pulled here and there but don't forget your farmers. You like to eat three meals a day so take care of them as well because they're going to be out there working as hard as any sector that there is,” Herlocker said.

Not only does the Farm Bill cover agriculture, but almost 80% of the bill is spent on nutrition in programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Kenya Joseph, chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Council, has seen firsthand what the community needs when it comes to access.

“A lot of people have experienced SNAP cuts, especially with the big COVID benefit rollback in February, so people are looking to stretch their dollar as much as they can,” Joseph said.

Joseph said their caseload went up by 3% overnight after recipients lost their COVID SNAP benefits.

“Even with the amount that is given for SNAP, it does not account for the actual cost of food in 2023. It does not account for all of the inflation that everybody has experienced,” Joseph said.

But Joseph said more funding isn’t the only thing the community needs out of the Farm Bill.

“It’s not just food insecurity, it's also food production and strengthening the local food system, helping local growers, making sure that that food is locally grown in the area in which we live and supporting initiatives and policies and advocating for policies that continue to strengthen that,” Joseph said.

Congress is also expected to put out a draft of the farm bill in September but could be experiencing delays.