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Farmers Counting on Congress to Bring USMCA Across Finish Line

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts June 12, 2019

Hoffman joined Farm Policy Facts from his farm in New Ulm, Minnesota to share with Groundwork listeners how momentum is building both across the heartland and within the halls of Congress to move immediately on the ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Prospects for passage of the so-called USMCA received a big boost in recent weeks as the United States and its trading partners reached agreements eliminating or avoiding tariffs tied to metal imports and immigration policy.

Our View: Financial Woes on the Farm Bode Ill for the Nation

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts June 3, 2019

Rural America is resilient. Our farmers will continue to work the land in hopes that the next season will bring renewed abundance. But they are also relying on Washington, DC to take decisive action to stand by U.S. farm families as we negotiate a quick end to ongoing trade disputes. Standing idle and allowing rural America to endure another farm crisis like the one we faced in the 1980s would set our economy back in incalculable ways. We must support our farmers through these challenging times, just as they support us every day.

New Podcast Brings Farm Policy to Public, Congress

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts April 22, 2019

Farm Policy Facts recently caught up with two sugar farmers who traveled to Washington last month to make the case for smart farm policies. Their stories were captured in a new podcast, Groundwork, that debuts April 22 on farmpolicyfacts.org. Hear more from Snyder and Medine on Groundwork. The monthly show will focus on a range of policy issues that are important to American farmers in upcoming episodes.

Our View: Trade Can Kickstart Ailing Farm Economy

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts April 5, 2019

The USDA quietly released a statistic in March that should alarm us all. More than seven dairy farms folded every day in 2018, and it’s easy to see why. America’s farmers and ranchers are in their 6th straight year of economic recession, with no end in sight.

Our View: OMB Budget Cuts Twice, Measures Once

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts March 15, 2019

Escalating debt-to-asset ratios reported by USDA last week and rising farm bankruptcies have spurred an increasing number of farm and ranch leaders to call for an extended Market Facilitation Program or congressionally enacted relief, whether in the form of a strengthened Farm Bill safety net or one-time legislative relief.

Farm Families Face Another Brutal Year

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts February 20, 2019

As farmers across the country prepare for the 2019 planting season, the one question on everyone’s minds seems to be: will the new Farm Bill provide an adequate safety net to see farm families through another brutal year?

America’s Farmers and Ranchers Applaud Farm Bill Passage

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts December 14, 2018

As the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of the 2018 farm bill on Wednesday, a great cheer rose from farms and ranches across America. Maybe they couldn’t hear it inside the House chamber, but here in farm country, the sound was deafening. It was the early Christmas gift farmers had hoped for and Congress delivered just in time.

Fair Trade, You Say? Government Facts Tell a Different Story

Current Farm PolicyBy Farm Policy Facts November 30, 2018

The global unfair trade practices that hurt American farmers and ranchers every day aren’t exactly state secrets, despite claims by opponents of agriculture who blindly argue that they don’t really exist or matter.

Our View: Unifying a Divided Nation

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts November 20, 2018

By this point, we are all exhausted by the endless rhetoric about America being a divided nation – a country of haves and have-nots. But, we think it’s important right now to explore this concept of division a little further. We’re not talking about partisan sniping. We’re talking about moisture and weather.

Our View: Making the Ag Vote Count

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts November 1, 2018

Selling more U.S. farm product overseas is the most important issue for farmers this time around – outranking even the war on terror, deficit reduction and healthcare. Not far behind on the list was passing the new Farm Bill, which was more important to farm voters than rural job creation, infrastructure improvements, immigration and lowering taxes.

Subsidy Spotlight: India

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts October 4, 2018

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump and his trade team announced a modernized trade pact with Mexico and Canada, and most of agriculture cheered. But it was a comment about another country during the White House press conference that really caught our attention. India is “the tariff king,” the President said. “India charges tariffs of 100 percent … that’s not free trade.”

Surveys Show Rural America Continues to Struggle

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts September 28, 2018

America’s struggling farm economy is heading for even bigger declines, according to recent surveys, and the nation’s top bankers say manufacturers should expect a major drop in sales of new equipment. Inflation-adjusted net farm income, which is a broad measure of profits, is expected to be down by $11.4 billion, or nearly 15 percent, this year compared to 2017, according to USDA’s August Farm Income Forecast.

Videos Bring The Story of American Farming to Public, Lawmakers

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts September 13, 2018

As the 2018 Farm Bill debate plays out in Congress, farmers across the nation are getting in front of the camera to tell their stories with the hopes that lawmakers will understand just how important a strong farm policy is to rural America.

Farm Bill Talk Dominates Congressional Recess

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts August 30, 2018

August is typically a down time in DC, but that has not been the case this year. Among other things, lots of work was being done on the Farm Bill.

Our View: Time to Go to Work

Farm Bill, Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts August 20, 2018

Summer is just about over, and Labor Day on the horizon signals that harvest is near. That means, it’s time to go to work. Farmers are watching Washington, D.C. as lawmakers return to finish some important Farm Bill business.

As Farm Bill Heads to Conference, A Look Back

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts August 5, 2018

Following a relatively smooth markup in the Senate Agriculture Committee, the Farm Bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration, and congressional leaders intend to have debate wrapped up before Independence Day.

Senate Farm Bill Debate, House Vote on the Horizon

Farm BillBy Farm Policy Facts July 31, 2018

When the Senate overwhelmingly passed its Farm Bill – just days after the House did the same – applause from the agricultural community was swift and loud. The bill, once reconciled in conference, will provide some economic certainty and help mitigate farm risk.

It’s Still ‘Kinda Flakey’ to Destroy Farm Policy with Anti-Farmer Amendments

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts June 26, 2018

When Congressmen Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill in 2007 that would have gutted U.S. farm policy and put American jobs at risk, the outcry from the agricultural community was swift and fierce. A campaign backed by farmers quickly labeled their plan “Kinda Flakey” and highlighted the disastrous effects it would have on commodities and rural communities from coast to coast.

Our View: They’re Baaaack…and They’re Still Wrong

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts June 8, 2018

It’s been a lively Farm Bill season, with a slew of anti-farmer amendments going down in flames. But one of farm policy’s most vocal opponents has been conspicuously quiet…until now. The Environmental Working Group came roaring back this week with a new “study” that – true to form – breaks no new ground and is largely a recycling of old irrelevant data.

Yet Another Worry in Farm Country

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts June 5, 2018

Prices and farm incomes are in the tank. Ongoing international trade talks are affecting overseas markets. Congress is debating a Farm Bill that will determine growers’ ability to mitigate risk. Mother Nature is wreaking havoc across the country – with farmers in the Great Plains facing drought and southern growers getting pounded by rain.

Our View: 2018 Farm Bill Proves Sunshine is Still the Best Disinfectant

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts May 30, 2018

In our view, this kind of open, honest debate beats the sneaky subterfuge of some past farm bill debates where pernicious amendments to gut U.S. farm policy have masqueraded as “reforms” in order to confuse the debate. The Heritage Foundation has made it perfectly clear that it opposes any safety net whatsoever for America’s farmers or ranchers because Heritage denies any unique risks to farming and ranching.

Our View: If You Support Farmers, Reject Anti-Farmer Amendments

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts May 17, 2018

A Farm Policy Facts writer was in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota yesterday, visiting with sugarbeet farmers who are planting this year’s crop. Farmers there are worried. Worried about the weather, which delayed planting. Worried about the markets, which have been slow to recover after Mexico illegally dumped subsidized surpluses here and…

As Mother Nature Rages, Agriculture’s Critics Attack

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts May 16, 2018

Farmers in West Texas and other parts of the Great Plains would love to be busier planting right now, but they’re having to reconsider because the ground is so dry it could destroy the seeds.

You’ve Got Mail… Lots of It

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts May 14, 2018

It’s a busy time to be a farmer. Many are in their fields planting, or preparing to do so. They are literally “covering the ground” – cultivating roughly 300 million acres and preparing crops to be harvested in the fall to feed and clothe the world.

Foreign Cheating Continues As Farm Bill Debate Unfolds

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts May 4, 2018

U.S. flagged vessels headed for China made an abrupt U-turn last month and headed for new ports. It wasn’t the weather that forced the change of course, but rather the contents in the ships’ hulls. Although the cargo involved is relatively small in the overall scope of agricultural trade, it did send off alarm bells for farmers who are depending on exports to lift them out of a slumping rural economy marked by low commodity prices.

Our View: Beware of Anti-Farm, Socialist Rhetoric

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts April 25, 2018

How does the bill “modernize” sugar policy? It mandates that the U.S. Department of Agriculture invite heavily subsidized foreign imports into the U.S., artificially depressing farmer prices and rewarding bad actors abroad. Worse yet, the bill denies sugar producers the basic non-recourse loans available to other commodities, meaning failure to repay would result not just in the loss of crops pledged as collateral but in total bankruptcy.

Farmers Make Their Voices Heard in Farm Bill Debate

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts April 20, 2018

The Farm Bill debate is officially underway with the House Agricultural Committee marking up H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, this week. Members of Congress have heard from growers and business owners over the last several months in listening sessions, during personal visits and in opinion pieces published in newspapers across the nation.

Our View: ‘Get A Second or Third Job’ Is Not Sound Farm Policy

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts March 28, 2018

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal revealed a rarely-discussed phenomenon of farmers being forced to take second and even third jobs as they try to keep their family farms afloat.

Old MacDonald Had a … Hurricane

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts March 20, 2018

Congress passed the first Farm Bill to help real Old MacDonalds who were struggling during the Great Depression. And lawmakers revisit the bill about every 5 years because, in contrast to the nursery rhyme, Old MacDonalds must constantly evolve with new tools, technologies and techniques to meet new challenges.

Our View: One for All

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts February 27, 2018

America enjoys the most affordable, widely available food supply in the history of mankind for about one-quarter of 1% of the federal budget. That’s why it’s so odd that organizations dedicated to defending taxpayers spend so much time focused on gutting farm policy.

Key Lawmakers Discuss Farm Bill with Sugar Farmers

Press ReleasesBy Farm Policy Facts February 22, 2018

Displays of bipartisanship are an increasingly rare sight in Washington these days, but when it comes to prioritizing the need for strong farm policies during difficult times, Agriculture Committee leadership appear to be on the same page.

What Recent Economic Reports Are Telling Us About Farming

Press ReleasesBy Farm Policy Facts February 16, 2018

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, last week, released projections that farm incomes will continue to fall in 2018 and will hit their lowest point in the past dozen years.

Cutting Crop Insurance for Big Farms Would Hurt Small Farmers Too

Press ReleasesBy Farm Policy Facts February 5, 2018

America’s largest farms are far less risky than smaller operations and typically have fewer crop insurance claims, according to a new working paper from top agricultural economists.

Farm, Trade Policy Experts Refute Critics in House Ag Committee Briefings

Press ReleasesBy Farm Policy Facts February 2, 2018

Approximately 100 Hill staffers attended a pair of briefings this week that closely examined and debunked a number of farm policy criticisms leveled by the Heritage Foundation and other anti-farmer organizations.

2017: A Year of Foreign Ag Subsidies

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts January 9, 2018

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2017 was the year of the “fire rooster,” which is also associated with the elements of gold and earth. It was fitting considering all the foreign farm subsidies that were doled out.

Our View: A Presidential Start to 2018

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts January 3, 2018

American agriculture will take center stage in the national discussion next week when President Trump addresses Farm Bureau members in Nashville, Tennessee.

Our View: Christmas Reflection

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts December 20, 2017

Thank you the farmers of this nation who put food on our tables, conserve our landscape and make our economy hum.

Ag Census Under Way

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts December 7, 2017

Farmers and ranchers across America will have their voices heard in the USDA Census of Agriculture, and the data collected in the coming months will certainly help shape agricultural policy for years to come.

Give Thanks for Our Nation’s Farmers

NewsBy Farm Policy Facts November 21, 2017

When you sit down at the family dinner table this Thanksgiving and count your many blessings, be sure to take a moment to acknowledge the contributions of our nation’s farmers.

Our View: Anti-Farmer Legislation Rings Hollow

Our ViewBy Farm Policy Facts November 13, 2017

Last week was busy for the anti-farm crowd in their quest to leave farmers with fewer tools to deal with depressed crop prices and weather disasters.