We are only in March and already seeing talk that the Farm Bill won’t be done this year. We still have almost seven full months to complete it, and many are already willing to write it off for another year. This means the Farm Bill would either expire or have to be extended another year.
The problem is well known because the current Farm Bill was written for 2018, based on data that was gathered between 2013 and 2018. A lot has changed since then. The marketplace is wildly different as well. Farmers and Ranchers need to see updated programs and certainty. While out at Commodity Classic, the Farm Bill was the topic of just about every conversation. Farmers and producers are worried about if they are going to have a solid foundation going forward.
The hard part about all this is that Farmers are hanging in the balance over legislation that is supposed to be about agriculture production but farming only accounts for fourteen percent of the legislation. The lion’s share of the bill is nutrition titles and other pet projects that don’t’ affect food security in this country. It has been hung up over politics for over a year, and farmers are tired of it.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst sits on the Senate Ag Committee, and she gives us this appraisal of the situation from her perspective.
Farmers from across the country are frustrated and feel abandoned. They are tired of being so marginalized that their interests aren’t even making up the majority of the legislation that is supposed to help them continue their family businesses. Talking to producers, they feel like whether the Farm Bill gets passed or not, they lose either way.
