The 2014 Farm Bill reaffirmed protection for farmers against low prices, but limits US leadership in trade reform.

Ahead of the World Trade Organization’s Ministerial Conference in December, David Orden and Carl Zulauf give an overview of the aims and guarantees of 2014’s Farm Bill. They write that while the Bill eliminates fixed payments, it continues past countercyclical programs in the form of protections against low prices or revenues. They write that while the Farm Bill will help preserve farming incomes, it does little to move the US in the WTO’s desired direction of reining in farm support.