Farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. left their fields at a pivotal time earlier this month with a united cause and rallying cry – we need a Farm Bill NOW!
In advance of the fly-in, more than 300 farm and ranch groups sent a letter to the Majority and Minority leaders in the House and Senate laying bare the daunting reality that many farm and ranch families are facing due to high and rising input costs and plummeting commodity prices.
“Congress must act before year’s end to strengthen farm policy for America’s farmers, and we remain committed to assisting in this effort. Failing to reauthorize a Farm Bill without meaningful investments in commodity programs and crop insurance, or settling for a simple extension of current law, would leave thousands of family farms with no options to continue producing for this nation in 2025 and beyond.” – Over 300 Groups Call on Congress to Pass Robust Farm Bill
Farmers representing corn, cotton, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, rice, sorghum, and more teamed up with bankers, lenders, and main-street businesses to stress the deteriorating economic conditions in farm country. This rare, multi-commodity, National effort further drove home the point that rural America doesn’t just want a strong Farm Bill – it desperately needs one.
Mr. Caleb Hopkins, a fly-in participant who serves as Vice Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Bankers Committee with the American Bankers Association, stated, “If the Farm Bill is not passed this year, agricultural producers will struggle to obtain credit during the 2025 production year. That will come as a blow to farmers who have experienced low commodity prices and high input costs that have reduced their equity and affected their cash flow in ways that haven’t been seen in years.”
The reality is that the Farm Bill plays an integral role in the lives of all Americans. In a recent hearing before the House Agriculture Committee, Dr. Dana Allen-Tully, President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, put it this way: “The Farm Bill needs to be done this year. It’s a rural community Farm Bill. It’s not just the farm. There’s different titles that affect all of us that live in the rural United States, and now’s the time before the ball drops coming in the next spring.”
America’s hardworking farm and ranch families simply can’t afford the cost of inaction, and this multi-commodity, coalitional effort made the high stakes clear to lawmakers.
We need a strong Farm Bill, and we need it now!
Here’s our Top 10 on why we need a Farm Bill.
Need a Farm Bill refresher? Find a high-level, title-by-title history and overview of this crucial piece of legislation that impacts every American, from the field to the dinner plate, here. Plus, learn about agricultural policy straight from America’s heartland on the Groundwork podcast.
