Farm Bill Fail Adds to Ag Uncertainty

I knew something big was up last Friday afternoon, May 18. Even though it was the end of the day (and I was enjoying some vacation time away from the office), my mobile phone began “blowing up” (as they say) around 3 p.m. This was just after the U.S. House of Representatives had failed to pass the $867 billion 2018 Farm Bill. Reactions ranged from shock to anger, and everything in-between.

“Between low commodity prices, a suffering ag economy, extreme weather conditions, and disease, growers need access to a strong Farm Bill after September 30,” said National Association of Wheat Growers President Jimmie Musick, in a statement. “Congress needs to enact a Farm Bill before the current one expires to give farmers long-term certainty that a safety net will be available through these uncertain and difficult economic conditions.”

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Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, echoed these views. “We are already starting to hear from farmers across the nation, many of whom are perplexed and outraged at this vote,” said Duvall. “They are facing very real financial challenges.”

Piled on top of the ongoing economic fight with Chinese exports, more uncertainty in the lives of growers is definitely not welcome at this point. In fact, it’s been almost one month now since China has purchased U.S. soybeans, for instances, with the country instead buying crops from Brazil and Russia.

At this point, it’s still early in the 2018 Farm Bill debate. But given how slowly legislation has tended to move through Congress these days, the 130 days or so between now and September 30 doesn’t seem like a whole lot of time for the various parties voting on the next Farm Bill to iron out their differences.

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