Many provisions of the 2002 farm bill expired in September 2007, but were continued under a series of temporary extensions to allow more time to resolve differences between the House- and Senate-passed bills. 110-246 ), replacing P.L. 2419 , the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008). On May 22, the 2008 farm bill was enacted into law ( P.L. 6124 on June 18, 2008. Brief Overview of Provisions

The enacted 2008 farm bill contains 15 titles covering support for commodity crops, horticulture and livestock production, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development, energy, forestry, and other related programs. It also includes tax-related provisions that make certain changes to tax laws in order to offset new spending initiatives in the rest of the bill. 107-171 ) and guides most federal farm and food policies through 2012. For commodities (Title I), the enacted 2008 farm bill generally continues the framework of the 2002 farm bill, but with changes to program eligibility criteria and payment limitations, and adjustments to target prices and loan rates for some commodities, covering the 2008 through 2012 crop years. It also adds new provisions to address horticulture and livestock issues, and creates two new titles to address these sectors (Title X and Title XI). The bill provides mandatory funding for specialty crop block grants and adds new provisions supporting pest and disease programs, new funding for growth of farmers' markets and for transitioning producers to organic production, and price reporting and organic data collection, among other provisions. Under the conservation (Title II), energy (Title IX), rural development (Title VI), and forestry titles (Title VIII), the 2008 farm bill reauthorizes, expands, and modifies many existing programs, creates new programs and initiatives, and allows some programs to expire. The bill also reauthorizes, expands, and modifies many of the existing provisions under the research title (Title VII) by requiring the reorganization of USDA's research, extension, and economic agencies. Projected Cost

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the total cost of the 2008 bill (i.e., baseline plus new funding, using the March 2007 baseline) at $284 billion over FY2008-FY2012 and $604 billion over FY2008-FY2017 ( Table 2 ). Of the $284 billion in projected total five-year net outlays for programs under the farm bill—including revenue and cost-offset provisions in the bill—about $42 billion in projected spending will support commodity crops, $189 billion will support the cost of food stamps and commodity assistance, $24 billion will support conservation programs, and $22 billion will support crop insurance. Another $10 billion is expected to be spent on trade, horticulture and livestock production, rural development, research, forestry and energy, and other programs. Other Programs

Another major initiative in the nutrition title is a dramatic increase in funding for the fresh fruit and vegetable program in schools. Country-of-Origin Labeling

The 2002 farm bill (Sec. Title XII: Crop Insurance and Disaster Assistance Programs

The enacted 2008 farm bill contains a new title covering crop insurance and disaster assistance programs (Title X).
The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246, "2008 farm bill") was enacted into law on June 18, 2008. It contains 15 titles covering support for commodity crops, horticulture and livestock production, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development, energy, forestry, and other related programs. It also includes provisions that make certain changes to tax laws, in order to offset some new spending initiatives in the final bill. The enacted bill succeeds the most recent 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) and is to guide most federal farm and food policies through 2012. Many provisions of the 2002 farm bill expired in September 2007, but were extended under a series of temporary extensions prior to final enactment of the 2008 bill.
The enacted 2008 farm bill continues and/or modifies most existing farm and commodity programs, and also creates new programs and provisions. For farm commodities, the bill generally continues the framework of the 2002 farm bill, revises payment limitations (tightening certain limits and relaxing others), adjusts support prices for some commodities, and creates a new revenue support program, in addition to the traditional direct, counter-cyclical, and marketing loan programs for major supported crops. The bill also adds new stand-alone titles containing provisions to address horticulture and livestock issues, including new mandatory funding for specialty crop block grants and to support organic production; and provisions to address meat and poultry inspection, country-of-origin labeling, and livestock competition. Other provisions include changes to the current crop insurance program, a new provision for ongoing disaster assistance, and expanded borrowing opportunities for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers.
The bill's nutrition title increases food stamp benefits and sets new standards that will make more households eligible, and also raises funding for fresh fruits and vegetables in most domestic food programs. For research, the bill requires the reorganization of USDA's research, extension, and economic agencies. For most other titles—conservation, international trade and food aid, rural development, forestry, and energy—the enacted law reauthorizes, expands, and/or modifies many of the existing programs, creates new programs and initiatives, and allows some programs to expire.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the total cost of the 2008 farm bill (i.e., baseline plus new spending, using its March 2007 baseline) at just under $284 billion in total budget authority over five years (FY2008-FY2012). About $42 billion (15%) in projected spending will support commodity crops, $189 billion (67%) will support the cost of domestic nutrition programs, $24 billion (9%) will support conservation programs, and $22 billion (8%) will support crop insurance. Another $14 billion is expected to be spent on supplemental disaster assistance, trade, horticulture and livestock production, rural development, research, forestry and energy, and other programs. Offsets from tax provisions and proceeds from the credit, crop insurance, and commodity program titles are estimated at $10 billion (FY2008-FY2012).