Governors urge Congress for Farm Bill action

U.S. farmers haven’t had a new Farm Bill since 2018

Seventeen Republican governors wrote to House and Senate leaders urging Congress for action on a Farm Bill.

Lawmakers extended the 2018 Farm Bill until the end of September 2024, which “has left America’s farmers and ranchers operating under a framework that is no longer viable,” the governors said in their Dec. 2 letter.

The signatories include Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders.

Domestic ag production is a matter of national security, the governors say.

If a country like the U.S. can’t feed or fuel itself, it can’t survive.

“It is imperative that the United States not become dependent on other countries for our food supply, while we have the best farmers and ranchers in the world right in our backyards,” they wrote, calling for an additional reauthorization of the current Farm Bill with immediate assistance in the interim.

Both House and Senate ag committees have introduced respective versions of a new Farm Bill.

In May, the House ag committee tabled the Farm, Food, and National Security Act.

This bill includes increased support for the PLC and ARC programs, bolsters dairy programs and enhances disaster programs.

While in November, senators introduced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act.

The proposed legislation includes $39 billion in new resources, including $20 billion to help with issues like making crop insurance more affordable, and to support beginning farmers.

But a new Farm Bill by the end of this year seems unlikely.

At the end of November, KCBD reported that Congress will no longer try to pass a new Farm Bill by the end of 2024, but work towards another extension.

Congress has until Dec. 20 to complete that work.

“Our nation’s agriculture industry is in trouble and if meaningful support is not provided soon, the well-being of the nation is at risk,” the governors said in their letter.