“Forgotten” farmers express frustration as Farm Bill expires

A deadline passes with no compromise in Washington, which leaves the country without a Farm Bill, something that could have implications on main street and the farm.

“We’re just kind of the forgotten group out here,” said Brandon Hunnicutt, a board member for the National Corn Growers Association.

Hunnicutt and his fellow farmers grow crops that go far beyond our borders.

“Not just for the United States, but for the world,” he said.

He expressed frustration with Congress, which was unable to pass a new Farm Bill before the September 30 deadline.

“For whatever reason, they can’t come to an agreement, just mess around can’t get anything done and now it’s expired,” he said.

Both the Senate and House have passed their own versions, however they have not been able to agree on a compromise. The Senate bill is viewed as more bipartisan, while the House would like to change food stamps, with more work requirements.

The Sept. 30 deadline came and went with no deal, and no extension.

A policy expert from the Center for Rural Affairs says a billion dollars in funding is frozen, unable to be spent. A federal research office has identified 39 programs in that position, that you can read about on our website.

Cora Fox said, “We really see this failure to extend the farm bill as irresponsibility on Congress’ behalf.”

Major programs like food stamps and crop insurance remain in effect.

But Fox says conservation programs on 70 million acres are affected, at a time farmers have seen five years of declining farm income.

“A lot of farmers value land stewardship, but it’s difficult to justify new conservation practices when they’re trying to break event,” she said.

The Center for Rural Affairs says grants for rural businesses are also in limbo, including the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program.

Fox said, “It helps create jobs, it helps people with technical assistance, it helps with lending to businesses that have less than 10 employees. These are your businesses filling up main streets throughout Nebraska.”

Corn grower Brandon Hunnicutt says some in rural America feel like the forgotten ones.

“I think some time it’s going to come back and bite them because they end up realizing we’re not going to vote like we’ve always done in the past. At some point you’re going to see a shift. If you’re not going to take care of us, the voting pattern’s going to change, because we can’t just keep getting used as pawns in every game that they play,” he said.

Senator Deb Fischer serves on the Senate Ag Committee.

She reminds farmers most programs continue.

“It’s disappointing that the farm bill conference committee hasn’t come to an agreement yet, but I want to emphasize that our Nebraska producers are still covered from a risk management standpoint. Producers will have certainty for the 2018 crop year because commodity programs are available to producers until the start of the 2019 crop year. Additionally, crop insurance is permanently authorized so our farmers and ranchers have that safety net,” she said in a written statement.