More than 50 agricultural groups sent a letter to Congress highlighting the economic crisis in rural America.
The letter describes the threat of continued farm losses.
“America’s farmers, ranchers and growers are facing extreme economic pressures that threaten the long-term viability of the U.S. agriculture sector,” the letter said. “An alarming number of farmers are financially underwater, farm bankruptcies continue to climb, and many farmers may have difficulty securing financing to grow their next crop.”
Farm losses are the result of a multitude of challenges over several years of downturns that have led to devastating farm losses.
“For the last three to four years the reality of record-high input costs and rapidly declining and historically low crop and specialty crop prices have culminated in many U.S. farmers experiencing negative margins and losses approaching one hundred billion dollars nationwide… These trends aren’t just statistics. They represent an economic crisis in rural America,” the groups said.
The letter, organized by the American Farm Bureau Federation, acknowledges—and expresses appreciation for—the significant investments over the past year in farm programs, a bridge assistance program and other aid to support farmers. It also noted that losses for commodity crops and specialty crops remain deep, and the gap needs to be closed.
“In addition to continuing to pursue federal policies to increase long-term domestic demand for U.S agricultural commodities, we urge Congress to provide immediate economic support to fill in the gap of remaining losses for both field and specialty crop farmers,” the letter said.
Farmers appreciate that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have acknowledged the losses on family farms and the need for additional aid. The letter emphasizes the urgency of the economic crisis as farmers question whether they can afford to plant another crop.
Stabilizing the farm economy benefits all Americans, the groups said, by ensuring the U.S. food supply remains strong and secure.
Texas Farm Bureau encourages farmers and ranchers to contact their Congressional representative and senators and ask them to deliver economic assistance to help Texas farmers and ranchers weather this economic crisis.
Leave A Comment