NCGA Calls on Congress to Resume Negotiations on Economic Assistance for Growers

Washington, DC (December 14, 2024) - Congress has yet to release or vote on a year-end legislation package. While recent negotiations have included funding for the federal government, a farm bill extension, economic assistance for agriculture producers and natural disaster recovery aid, Congressional leadership has signaled that the package does not currently include economic assistance.

In response to this development, Kenneth Hartman Jr, president of the National Corn Growers Association, released the following statement:

“We are deeply disappointed that congressional leadership appears to be at an impasse over crucial economic assistance for farmers in an end-of-the-year legislative package. Corn growers are faced with low prices and high input costs and economic aid would provide them with critical relief during challenging economic times.

“While these developments are disheartening, we call on Congress to resume negotiations and pass legislation that includes economic assistance while there is still time.”

NSP urges Congress to pass economic assistance in year-end package

Washington, DC (December 14, 2024) -National Sorghum Producers Chair Amy France, a sorghum farmer from Scott City, KS, released the following statement of concern over Congress' inability to include economic relief for producers in the year-end supplemental legislation. NSP is urging lawmakers from farm states to reject the bill if it fails to include this vital assistance.

“Farmers are operating under an increasingly bleak economic landscape in 2024, and projections for 2025 offer little improvement. Amid growing financial strain, the industry has emphasized the importance of assistance, but Congress has yet to take action. These mounting challenges pose significant risks to the financial viability of many farming operations.

“While this assistance will not make producers whole, it would be an essential step in helping farm families navigate the difficulties brought on by economic and weather-related hardships in 2024.

“We urge agricultural leaders in Congress to demand that the supplemental spending bill include substantial financial aid for farmers, and if it doesn’t, we ask that they vote against it."

NAWG Responds to Breakdown in Negotiations Over Whether to Include Economic Assistance for Farmers as Part of a Continuing Resolution

Washington, D.C. (December 14, 2024) – Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), provided the following statement:

“NAWG opposes any continued resolution that does not include economic assistance for farmers. 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. Wheat growers have seen their prices drop by over 36 percent 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."

NASDA urges congressional leadership to provide economic aid and disaster assistance
to farmers and ranchers

Arlington, VA (December 15, 2024) - National Association of State Departments of Agriculture CEO Ted McKinney issued the following statement.

“Farmers and ranchers are encountering tremendous pressures under high input costs, elevated interest costs, deeply depressed commodity futures markets and poor local cash markets. 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.”

Agriculture Industry Leaders Urge Congress to Support Farmers in Year-End Funding Bill

Arlington, VA (December 16, 2024) – The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA), CropLife America (CLA), and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) released the following joint statement:

“As Congressional leaders deliberate on a year-end stopgap government funding bill, it is critical that any package includes disaster assistance and economic aid for farmers. Farmers are facing severe financial hardships, and they need robust support from this legislation to help ensure the viability of their livelihoods, our rural communities, and our food supply. We urge House and Senate leadership to reach a spending package deal that includes disaster assistance and economic aid for farmers.”