ISSUES AND ALTERNATIVES IN THE 1995 FARM BILL DEBATE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE FARM BILL

Nearly every aspect of Michigan Agriculture is affected by the farm bill. Farm program payments are a major source of income (25 percent of Michigan's net farm income in recent years has come from farm program payments - Figure 1), conservation compliance requirements are beginning to affect production decisions, and export programs affect market prices. All farmers in Michigan will be affected by the decisions made in 1995, regardless of whether they currently participate in farm programs or produce program crops.