Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill, includes ten titles, addressing a great variety of issues related to agriculture, ecology, energy, trade, and nutrition. This act has been superseded by the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill

The Act allocates approximately $16.5 billion annually to agricultural subsidies, These subsidies significantly influence the production of grains, oilseeds, and upland cottonOwing to its specialized scope, as well as the magnitude and timing of its provisions, the legislation was highly contentious during its passage.

Debated in the U.S. House of Representatives during the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks in 2001, the bill drew criticism from the White House and was nearly amended. The amendment, which failed by a close margin, was proposed by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and would have shifted money away from grain subsidies to conservation measures. Public debate over the farm bill continued, and the Senate proposed sweeping amendments to the bill, leading to a series of meetings from February through April. As a result, the current farm bill was not passed until May 2002, a few weeks after the 1996 farm bill had already expired.

Provisions included:

The following is the subsidies by crop in 2004 in the United States.

Source USDA 2006 Fiscal Year Budget

"Let's push the pedal to the metal and try to get something done this year."

— Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) after 9/11