Nebraska farmers waiting for answers as Congress lets farm bill expire

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The clock is ticking for the farm bill.

The five-year piece of legislation originally expired last year, but Congress passed a one-year stopgap bill, which expired Monday night.

Lawmakers are deciding whether to pass a new version of the farm bill before the end of the year or extend the 2018 bill again.

The bill’s expiration marks the second year in a row that Congress has failed to pass the bill, which provides funding for several programs that support agriculture, nutrition and conservation.

“You really wonder about the people we’ve got in Congress, on the House side and the Senate,” farmer Paula Peterson said. “Are they looking out for the nation?”

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Peterson has been farming in Waverly for 38 years and has been pushing lawmakers to work together to make a decision.

She said the farm bill has multiple conservation programs that farmers can apply for.

Peterson said those programs are a crucial safety net for farmers when things don’t go as planned.

“That way we can continue to make our land healthy, and healthy land is going to make good crops, which makes better food for people,” she said. “And so it’s the circle that goes around, and that’s really where we need the farm bill for our particular day-to-day needs.”

Although the money from the current bill may not run out until the end of the year, Peterson said the expiration makes farmers uncertain about whether they’ll survive.

When farmers quit, those who remain will have to put in more work and spend more money feed and equipment.

“And guess what that does to food prices?” she asked.

She thinks lawmakers will choose to extend the current version of the farm bill but is worried because that bill needs updated.

“There’s not a lot of people using a 2018 phone,” she said. “It upgrades. We need to upgrade our bills as life changes as we go.”

A friend of Peterson’s in North Carolina lost her farm this weekend due to flooding from Hurricane Helene, which she said is an example of why something needs to be done.

“What are we going to do when it’s gone tomorrow?” she asked. “We have to give those people an opportunity to be able to fight back, and that’s where the farm bill provides resources that gives them an extra hand up to keep going.”

Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska said he wants to get a new farm bill passed by the end of the year, sending Channel 8 the following statement:

“America needs a new Farm Bill as soon as possible. Nebraska is home to thousands of hardworking family farmers and ranchers who raise the food and fuel the world uses every day. For over a year, I have been traveling the First District hearing from constituents, stakeholders, and community leaders about their hopes for the future of our ag economy and the next Farm Bill. The House Ag Committee has passed a Farm Bill and I hope that both the House and the Senate come together to get this done by the end of this year.”