Farm Bill Extension Cuts Benefits for Central Coast Farms - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

SALINAS, Calif. -- The Farm Bill that expired in September was temporarily renewed Monday keeping milk prices from skyrocketing, but that's not all.  The one year extension of the original 2008 bill avoids major tax increases and spending cuts that were scheduled this year.

This is the same bill that kept your milk prices from going up to $7 and $8 a gallon. The Monterey County Farm Bureau said the extension of the last Farm Bill in 2008 doesn't include a number of things local farmers need, calling it a "quick fix."

Farm Bureau Executive Director Norm Groot said they were hoping for a new bill to start off 2013, but they just got a re-hash of the old one. "The 2008 bill is outdated. There's a number of provisions in there that need to be updated based on the economic circumstances that we've been through," said Groot.

Programs like organic growing, conservation and fruit and vegetable programs were cut out of the deal. The biggest hit for the Central Coast was funding lost for specialty crops. "It's really important to California for research for crop pests and management of new techniques in growing crops," said Groot. Pest research is especially important for Central Coast farmers because California is usually the first place in the nation new pests hit.

Now with a temporary farm bill in place AG leaders fear the next Farm Bill passed will have even steeper cuts to programs farmers need like crop insurance subsidies and disaster relief. "You wouldn't drive your car without some sort of insurance to protect you from an accident and I think farmers need the same with crop insurance," said Groot.  

The Farm Bill includes everything from farm subsidies to food stamps and is usually passed by Congress every five years. Part of what was extended was $5 billion of government subsidies for things like corn and soybeans, which aren't huge products here.