The State of the Countryside

Key Takeaways

• Prolonged market and weather volatility have created a dire situation in the countryside.
• Producers are calling on lawmakers to pass emergency assistance for market and weather losses, as well as Farm Bill 2.0.
• Producers and lawmakers are also urging the Administration to take action on unfair trade practices harming America’s farm families and workers.

In recent weeks, farmers across the U.S. headed to the fields to begin planting their crops for the 2026 crop year. However, this year, they are facing an uphill battle on the horizon.

Extreme drought. Disastrous hail. Fires. Freezes. Skyrocketing input costs. Volatile global markets. Foreign governments cheating the system. Years on years of depressed commodity prices.

The list goes on.

America’s farm families are resilient – but not immune to the headwinds facing them at home and abroad.

The bipartisan passage of Farm Bill 2.0 in the House sent a strong signal to producers, but the job’s not done.  The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to take up the matter in the coming weeks as pressures continue to climb in rural America.

President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Mr. Wes Beck, stated, “Farm Bill 2.0 will go a long way toward improving conditions on the ground for Minnesota farmers during this time of economic uncertainty. We appreciate the leadership of Chairman Thompson and look forward to Farm Bill action in the U.S. Senate.”

As lawmakers eye a path forward for Farm Bill 2.0, discussions also continue on the potential for emergency assistance for market and weather losses.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told producers last week, “In farm country these days, it’s not good – at least in my part of the country it’s not.  Just know there are a lot of folks out here who care deeply and profoundly about the [agriculture] industry.”

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) remarked at a recent hearing of the Committee on fertilizer prices, “While the proposals and solutions we hear about today may help increase production of fertilizer and bring down prices in the long-term, in the immediate future, Congress must provide additional assistance to supplement what USDA provided with the Farmer Bridge Payments and the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers programs, to ensure producers have the working capital available to see them through the 2026 crop year.”

Chairman Boozman continued, “I have been working with my friend, Senator Hoeven, to advocate for this assistance and appreciate President Trump’s acknowledgement of this need when a larger supplemental funding package is requested.”

Producers and lawmakers are also calling on the Administration to take action against the unfair trade practices of foreign nations harming U.S. producers.

In a recent testimony to USTR, Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis at the American Sugar Alliance urged the Administration to address the flood of highly subsidized, over-quota foreign sugar stealing U.S. market share from America’s 11,000 sugarbeet and sugarcane family farmers and workers.

Dr. Johansson stated, “We cannot withstand another year of losses. Without a swift and sustainable solution, American family farms and American factories will go out of business.”

U.S. rice growers are also calling for action against the trade-distorting practices of other nations.

Mr. Bobby Hanks, Chairman of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee stated, “The U.S. rice industry continues to play by international rules and is being victimized as a result by countries that flaunt those same rules and enforcement mechanisms that are not up to the task.”

As farm families have tough discussions about the future of their operations,  we call on lawmakers and the Administration to take action for the hardworking men and women who provide us with the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food supply in a manner unrivaled in history.

Now’s the time. Stand by America’s farm families who are facing unprecedented challenges.
Need a Farm Bill refresher? Find a high-level, title-by-title history and overview of this crucial piece of legislation that impacts every American, from the field to the dinner plate, here. Plus, learn about agricultural policy straight from America’s heartland on the Groundwork podcast.