Last week, with a new farm bill in limbo, Congress began mulling several pathways for a potential $20 billion economic assistance package for farmers , but now it appears those negotiations have broken down, ag groups say.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall called on farm state members to oppose year-end supplemental legislation if economic aid for farmers is missing.

“At a time when farm income is in a downward spiral and costs are rising, it’s unacceptable for Congress to turn its back on farmers,” Duvall said in a press release. “Farmers don’t get to set the prices for their goods and right now those prices don’t even come close to covering their costs. We lost 141,000 farms in five years and if Congress fails to include economic aid for farmers, the sad reality is that we’ll lose more.

“Nearly 80% of Americans believe lawmakers should prioritize legislation that supports farmers and ranchers so it’s just plain unacceptable that our elected leaders are considering putting politics first,” Duvall continued. “Our whole country will suffer the consequences if Congress takes farmers and our food supply for granted. … In truth, every elected leader who enjoys our affordable and abundant food supply represents agriculture, so I urge them to band together and ensure farmers are supported.”

Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers, said in a statement his organization opposes any continuing resolution that doesn’t include the economic assistance.

“We are disappointed that leaders in Congress couldn’t find common ground to provide relief to farmers experiencing a financial crisis and urge them to continue working on a package that meets the needs of rural America,” Goule said. “Wheat growers have seen their prices drop by over 36% since the 2022/23 marketing year and need the certainty an economic assistance package can provide before the end of the year. Period. Congress has already failed to pass a robust farm bill, and the lack of leadership in reaching an agreement will continue to hurt farmers who feed America and the world.”

“Reports from the supplemental funding/continuing resolution packaged being negotiated today indicate that it fails to include critical economic assistance for American farmers facing the one-two punch of low prices and skyrocketing input costs,” stated Chuck Conner, president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said in a Dec. 14 press release. “It would fall far short of what is needed to ensure the survival of thousands of producers across the country. We urge congressional leaders to rethink this approach, negotiate in good faith, and keep their promises to farmers. Without such action, NCFC cannot support such a bill and would urge a ‘no’ vote on the measure.”

“Farmers and ranchers are encountering tremendous pressures under high input costs, elevated interest costs, deeply depressed commodity futures markets and poor local cash markets,” stated Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. “Additionally, they have experienced powerful headwinds, ranging from extreme weather to uncertain global demand to supply chain disruptions. NASDA calls on Congress to put politics aside and find a resolution that provides the necessary economic aid and disaster assistance for the farmers and ranchers who work every day to provide food security to our country while also feeding the world.”