Farm bill extension on track to pass, but Nebraska farmers want permanent solution

WAVERLY, Neb. (KLKN) – Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Nebraska and the backbone of the economy.

So for farmers like Paula Peterson, the uncertainty surrounding the farm bill is a heavy burden.

On Friday, Congress was on track to approve a government funding bill that includes a farm bill extension.

But farmers say the need a new permanent farm bill, which lawmakers haven’t passed since 2018.

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Farmers rely on the government for things like securing crop insurance, applying for disaster relief or accessing conservation funding.

But Peterson said the lack of a farm bill hurts more than just the agriculture.

“The farm bill itself, only about 10% of it goes to farm programs,” Peterson said. “The other 90% of it goes to food nutrition, food safety. And that covers the rest of this country. Farmers are just a small percentage of the people impacted. You’re dealing with millions and millions of people. Every single American is affected by food.”

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The Farmers Union of Nebraska is also voicing serious concerns.

President John Hansen said the spending stalemate this week put farmers at risk.

“This was a really wildly not productive and irresponsible thing to do, especially when you don’t have another package in the waiting that will work,” he said. “So, this is not about playing out political leverage and perception and all of that. This is real-world consequences here.”

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Hansen said the farm bill mean the difference between thriving and struggling for many local farms.

“We’re all kind of struggling with ways to describe the increasing financial pressure on our farms and ranches,” Hansen said. “Of course these are family businesses, so when the business is in trouble, the family’s in trouble.”

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