Farmers Seek Stronger Safety Net as Congress Considers New Farm Bill

By Avery J. Davidson

Louisiana Farm Bureau News

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Louisiana farmers, along with their counterparts across the nation, are urging Congress to pass a new farm bill this year, expressing concerns that the current safety net is inadequate to address rising costs.

The urgency was palpable at the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, where attendees packed a session on the upcoming farm bill.

“We do need a safety net, a new one,” said David Smith, Beauregard Parish Farm Bureau President. “I say tighten up the old safety net, whatever you have to do, because farmers now are walking the tightrope and the wind's blowing.”

Smith's sentiment reflects the widespread feeling that the one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, passed late last year, fails to provide sufficient support for farmers facing high input costs and low commodity prices.

“Farmers now are walking the tightrope,” he emphasized.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) addressed the convention, expressing confidence that a new bill could be passed this year.

Thompson acknowledged past disagreements on funding enhancements to the safety net but believes progress will be made this year.

“There's a pathway forward on that--all the leaders are kind of lining up," Thompson stated, “I think the 119th Congress is going to be a good time to really finish what we got started in the 118th Congress.”

Craig stressed the need for bipartisanship, given the narrow majority in the House.

“The truth is that there are about 30 Republicans, on their side of the aisle who are never going to vote for a farm bill," she noted, pointing to the Freedom Caucus.

Craig also highlighted the importance of the nutrition title for Democrats.

"You're not going to have a farm bill without a strong nutrition title," she said. Craig believes that once this is agreed upon, they can "sit down and hammer it out," similar to the process in 2018.

While both Thompson and Craig agree on the need for a new farm bill, the timeline remains uncertain. Thompson expressed hope for a sooner resolution, warning that delaying could necessitate further economic disaster relief.

“Really can't give a timeline,” he said. “But the sooner we can get that done, as opposed to waiting towards the end of the year, if we wait towards the end of the year, we're going to have to come back to Congress for more economic, disaster relief.

"I'm absolutely confident with enhancements to the safety net,” Thompson added. “If we're able to… get this farm bill across the finish line sooner than later, we can avoid the need for that."

Back home in Louisiana, Smith has a more immediate timeline in mind.

“As soon as this spring, why can't we get something going?" he asked. "We cannot wait til the end the year. We need not only the farm bill, we need the NRCS side, the conservation side. It all works together, all ties in, and farmers that I know, we all use those products and those as the inputs. It's very important."

A group of Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers will be traveling to Washington, D.C., next month, where they will be advocating for a timely and effective farm bill.