Natural Disasters, Low Crop Prices Raise Pressure for New Farm Bill as 2018 Bill Expires

The 2018 Farm Bill expired for a second time last month, when the extension ran out on Sept. 30.

Major programs funded through the bill like food assistance and crop insurance are still going. But the bill is stalling out as farmers reckon withhurricanes in the Southeast,wildfires in the West anddrought blanketing the Midwest.

That’s on top of federal data that showsfarm income is falling for the second year in a row.

Low prices for corn, soybeans and wheat are hitting farmers particularly hard, according to Roger Cryan, chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“They’re in the red and next year is looking even worse,” he said. “There’s a call for help right now, for the natural disasters and economic disasters that farmers are facing all over the country.”

Cryan said an updated farm bill would help the agriculture industry through tough weather spells and economic challenges.

“If that had gotten done in 2023, then 2024’s economic crisis would not be nearly what it is now,” Cryan said. “The amount of help that’s needed now would not have been as great.”

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