America’s farmers and ranchers face a compounding economic crisis.

For the last three to four years, negative margins have become the norm across much of agriculture, with losses building year after year. Record-high input costs and persistently low crop prices combined with catastrophic weather events and global instability are pushing many farm families to the brink.

Why it matters: This is not just a farm problem. It is a rural economy problem and a national food security problem.

Due to several years of sustained losses, many farmers are financially underwater and struggling to secure financing for their next crop. Each farm lost means fewer rural jobs, weaker local economies and greater dependence on foreign supply chains for food and agricultural products.

What’s happening: In recent months, farmers have been hit with extreme winter storms, drought, wildfires and infrastructure losses, followed by volatile fuel and fertilizer costs driven by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the supply disruptions that followed.

The American Farm Bureau Federation and a broad coalition of agricultural organizations are urging Congress to act immediately to stabilize the farm economy.

Enhancements to the farm safety net in H.R. 1 will provide needed relief to farmers this fall. Recent investments by the administration, including the Farmer Bridge Assistance program and Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program, also provide some relief for farmers struggling through this growing season. However, the cumulative losses farmers have experienced over the past several years have created financial challenges that extend beyond the relief provided to date. 

Farmers need urgent economic assistance to survive until longer-term policy solutions and farm safety net improvements take effect.

What AFBF is urging Congress to do: AFBF is calling for swift congressional action to include robust market relief for U.S. agriculture in the budget reconciliation package to help farmers address urgent economic and production challenges. This support must be robust enough to address the scale of losses facing agriculture today. 

The bottom line: Without immediate action, more farms will be lost, rural communities will suffer and America’s food security will be at risk.

Congress must act now to provide immediate economic relief while working toward long-term solutions that keep U.S. agriculture strong.

Act now: Urge Congress to include robust market relief for U.S. agriculture in the budget reconciliation package.