
The delay of a new farm bill into 2025 may well be a blessing in disguise. The clean slate of a new Congress, administration and USDA secretary should make for passage of an outstanding farm bill that is so needed in this current agricultural recession.
The farm bill provides a safety net, which is needed now more than ever. Commodity prices are low, production expenses are high, and uncertainty rules the day. Safety net is actually a good description of what the farm bill should do for hardworking farmers. Just as the most skilled trapeze artists rely on a safety net just in case they fall, farmers need a safety net to protect them from the devastation of catastrophic weather and factors beyond their control.
In many ways, farmers are trapeze artists. Trapeze artists do flips, acrobatics and other maneuvers in midair that mystify. They seem to defy gravity. It takes great coordination, dexterity and balance to succeed, as well as an exceptional sense of timing and focused concentration.
Farmers too take daring moves to raise profitable crops. They deal with weather, insects and a multitude of other challenges that never go away. They need the protection of a safety net in case they fall.
If members of Congress have ears to hear, they will pass a farm bill that provides the safety net to support farmers in these difficult times. Farm Bureau and the commodity groups such as the National Cotton Council, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association and the USA Rice Federation can all tell Congress the exact farm bill needed to help farmers mitigate risk. Members of Congress must listen and respond.
The beauty is both the House and Senate ag committees understand the needs of the U.S. farmer. Those committees are the one place in Congress where the voice of the farmer is heard. Committee members understand that a safety net for farmers is a necessity, not a luxury. The challenge remains getting the rest of the House and Senate to value the safety the farm bill provides.
Few expect the farm bill to pass in the early days of the new Congress. But a new farm bill should be passed and signed by the president before the current fiscal year expires Sept. 30. That is plenty of time to build a good bill that provides a safety net and serves agriculture well.
It’s up to Congress now. They can listen to the guidance of farm and commodity groups, and create a bill that works.
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