Joint Comments to Congress on the Agriculture Group Farm Bill

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader Jeffries, and Minority Leader McConnell:

As representatives of farmers, livestock and specialty crop producers, lenders, and other essential stakeholders in agricultural communities across the United States, we write to express our strong support for advancing a meaningful farm bill in 2024 that addresses worsening conditions in farm country. Given the enormous challenges facing production agriculture – including a farm economy that has taken a downward spiral – it is imperative Congress act before year's end to strengthen farm policy for America's farmers. It is critical that Congress pass a new farm bill that strengthens the safety net as many producers are facing multiple years of not being profitable and this is causing their overall financial situation to deteriorate. Some will have challenges as they seek operating credit for the 2025 crop year.

We were encouraged to see farm bill proposals released by leadership of the House and Senate committees of jurisdiction in May and June. We were especially pleased to see swift movement in the House Committee on Agriculture and the resulting bipartisan vote of approval for the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. The committee-passed bill addresses many of the significant challenges our members face.

Throughout the life of the current farm bill, producers across the country have experienced powerful headwinds, ranging from extreme weather to high input costs to uncertain global demand to supply chain disruptions. Farmers are struggling, and the decline in the farm economy is real. Estimated 2024 net farm income for U.S. agriculture is projected to be down $55.61 billion, a more than 27% drop from the 2022 level, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since the beginning of the year, the harvest price of major crops traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Intercontinental Exchange have fallen by an average of 21% while total production costs remain near record levels. Despite these factors, USDA projects that federal support for production agriculture in 2024 will be at its lowest since 1982.

Download the joint comment letter to read the full text.