Time for Congress to Choose Farmers Over Politics

As a farmer and rancher, I’ve learned to count on the seasons. They don’t wait. The crops don’t hold off until it’s convenient, and the livestock don’t adjust their needs to fit my schedule.

Yet here we are again, caught in a political freeze, waiting on Congress to pass a farm bill while our livelihoods hang in the balance.

Farm and ranch families operate in a unique business with obstacles beyond our control requiring a lot of faith. We have faith the weather will cooperate to let us plant, grow and harvest good crops. We have faith the commodity and livestock markets will stay strong. We have faith that when we experience catastrophic storms destroying our crops or an economic downturn, the next year will be better, and we can continue farming.

As farmers, we’re eternal optimists. The reality, however, is we are in a dire situation as we navigate the most severe downturn in the farm economy since the 1980s.

This is due to skyocketing inflation, high input prices, low commodity prices, uncontrollable weather, global unrest, and other challenges. Three consecutive years facing hardship makes it difficult to secure financing, stay in business, and frankly, which is also most concerning, maintain mental health.

A December USDA report shows a 23% drop in net farm income since 2022. The most recent Census of Agriculture shows America lost 141,733 farms and 20 million acres in a five-year period. We are also experiencing the second consecutive year of a record agricultural trade deficit, which alone should be alarming.

While farmers face the most treacherous time in recent history, Congress has failed to prioritize passing a farm bill with additional investments in the farm safety net.

In a September letter from all 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico Farm Bureau to U.S. House and Senate leadership, we clearly stated, “Another extension of the 2018 farm bill is insufficient and unacceptable as outdated farm safety net programs create uncertainty for agricultural producers.” I am extremely disheartened to say it seems our letter was ignored, and Congress is punting on the farm bill a second time, once again failing the American farmer and rancher.

The farm bill isn’t just a piece of legislation. It provides stability for rural communities, funding for conservation programs, research opportunities and ensures access to nutrition for millions of families.

For some, it’s easy to see the farm bill as just another political debate. But for us in agriculture, it’s personal. It’s the difference between keeping the family farm afloat or being forced to sell out. It’s the resources we need to care for the land, to feed our neighbors and to survive the storms—both literal and figurative—that we know will come.

The fact is our nation’s farmers are at the end of their rope, and we are fed up with Congress’s excuses and inaction. But there is opportunity to change the dangerous path we are on as a country when it comes to national food security.

We continue to press for a new farm bill with critically needed investments in the farm safety net. But most importantly, at this juncture, is for Congress to pass the “Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act of 2024,” introduced by Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), or a similar economic aid package, to provide desperately needed assistance to farmers as we continue waiting on Congress to act on a new farm bill.

If Congress fails to deliver economic assistance to farm families this year, the results for our country will be disastrous. It’s not just farmers who lose when Congress fails to fulfill the needs of agriculture. Our entire economy suffers, and our nation’s secure food supply is jeopardized. The impacts ripple out to every plate in America.

I hope consumers across the country realize what is at stake if Congress fails to act. An unprecedented number of farmers will not survive unless they have some assurance to take to their lenders to secure financing for the upcoming crop year.

Anyone who views delivering economic assistance to farmers as a cost to our nation is severely misguided. This must be regarded as a necessary investment in the future of our food security. Failing to invest in agriculture is a threat to the backbone of our country and the nation’s food and national security.

Let’s choose farmers over politics and pass the FARM Act this year and prioritize passing a new farm bill in the new year. Because the seasons won’t wait, and neither can we.

Russell Boening is president of Texas Farm Bureau. He grows feed grains, cotton and wheat, in addition to operating a dairy and a beef cattle farm with his brother. This column was originally published as an op-ed by Texas Farm Bureau.