The American Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations have sent a letter to Washington urging them to help farmers currently.
They said a combination of poor commodity prices, record high production costs, and shrinking margins have left many farm families with substantial uncovered losses and little working capital to fall back on for the next year. Farmers are still contending with negative returns and in some sectors, losses have persisted for multiple years. Adding to that strain, price volatility for certain inputs like fertilizer is caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during this growing season.
So, for these reasons and others they’ve asked the House of Representatives to support a $12 billion in market relief as soon as possible through the House Budget Reconciliation Package. American farmers produce the food, fiber, and fuel that Americans rely on every day, they said, and not only that but their work supports jobs and economic activity across the entire country. We ask for your leadership and support in preserving this critical assistance and ensuring timely relief that it reaches farm families before it’s not too late.
Audio Reporting by Tyron Spearman for Southeast AgNet.