Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (Farm Bill) The Farm
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2008 (the Farm Bill) is a
long, complex law dealing with everything from farm loans,
credit and subsidies, trade, energy, nutrition and research to
rural development, forestry and agricultural conservation
programs which amended the Food Security Act of 1985. Renewed
every six years, the Farm Bill authorizes the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to establish and fund environmentally
friendly practices on forested and non-forested agricultural
land and to establish conservation reserves. While not
specifically designed to support collaborative efforts, Farm
Bill funding and technical advice can support public-private
partnerships for conservation. The 112th Congress failed to pass
the 2012 Farm Bill, and at the very end of the session voted to
extend the provisions of the 2008 bill until October 1, 2013. In
the Farm Bill, "farmland" refers primarily to crop-rotation
lands. It does not include lands that could b