Ever wonder how you can stay on top of the most important news in our fast-paced, rapidly changing world? Ever wish you could zoom in on the most important, consequential news of the day without fluff or rhetoric?
Well, we here at Farm Policy Facts have got just the man for the job, and we had a chance to sit down with him on the Groundwork podcast. We’re grateful to have Jim Wiesemeyer, the Dean of Washington Farm Journalists, give us the latest scoop on what’s happening in our Nation’s Capital.
And there is a lot happening in Congress and the countryside:
- Farm and ranch families are facing yet another year of low commodity prices and high input costs while relying on an outdated safety net last updated in the 2018 Farm Bill;
- The resurgence of trade disputes as foreign nations put American agriculture in the crosshairs;
- Unscientific attacks on the tools our farmers and ranchers use to produce the world’s safest food supply.
Thankfully, we have strong ag advocates in Congress and in the newly minted Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, and much needed farm safety net provisions were included in the House-passed reconciliation package. That “One Big Beautiful Bill” is now moving through the Senate, and America’s farmers and ranchers are watching closely in hopes that these critical farm provisions that put America’s farmers first will soon become law.
“[The reconciliation package is] a major development for ag policy because it includes a much needed, big boost for reference prices, some positive changes for crop insurance—a farm program that works and continues to work—and some other aspects, some increases in market development funds. So those are all big pluses,” Wiesemeyer said.
The agriculture provisions in the House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” are very important to rural America – from making enhancements to the farm safety net through reference prices and crop insurance, to tax provisions that would benefit producers across the nation.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman, G.T. Thompson (R-PA) recently told fellow lawmakers, “It’s imperative for Congress to rebuild the farm safety net. These investments [made in the House’s reconciliation package] mitigate further unbudgeted ad hoc spending and prevent a full-blown financial crisis in farm country that could devastate the food and ag supply chain.”
In response to the House’s passage of the reconciliation package, Minnesota Corn Growers Association President Jim Kanten stated, “Farmers are facing uncertainty and economic pressure on several fronts. MCGA strongly supports making permanent several provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to reduce uncertainty in estate planning and capital expenditures for Minnesota farm families.”
As we’ve detailed in Farm Policy Facts before, life on the farm looks a whole lot different now than it did seven years ago! Many growers are sitting around the kitchen table and having tough conversations about the future of their operations. In testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this year, fourth-generation Minnesota farmer and sugarbeet grower Tim Deal stated, “As things stand, the Farm Bill safety net hasn’t been updated since 2018 and is woefully out of sync with today’s economic realities. If Congress does not pass a Farm Bill that provides a meaningful update to these policies, including U.S. sugar policy, many of us will struggle to continue financing our operations.”
We also discussed the latest on the frequently evolving trade front. According to Wiesemeyer, even amidst all the change, there are important developments to keep in mind.
“… I think by the end of the year, we’re gonna have a new trade agreement with China,” he said. “The tariffs on Canada and Mexico, I think, will eventually be taken off… More than a few countries are wanting to work with the U.S. on lowering their tariffs.”
Wiesemeyer also discussed the recent release of the “Make America Healthy Again” Commission report, summing it up in one line: “The bottom line I’m hearing that’s clear from the farm sector is, [you need to] use science.” He pointed to two recent studies that underscore the importance of crop protection tools to the sustainability of American agriculture and our ability to feed a hungry world safely and affordably:
- The National Corn Growers Association found that eliminating two common EPA-approved herbicides could lead to a 60% increase in costs for farmers.
- Similarly, NC State University estimates corn, cotton, and soybean growers in North Carolina would all face significantly increased weed control costs – economic impacts that would ripple across the entirety of America’s farm economy without the use of safe and approved crop protection tools.
To hear more of the latest news and insights from Jim Wiesemeyer, make sure you listen to the full episode of Groundwork here!