The National Farmers Union is calling on Senate leaders to strengthen the farm safety net this year as farmers face mounting financial pressure from rising costs, falling margins, and growing debt levels. NFU said farm bankruptcies have increased 46 percent while many producers continue struggling with tighter operating margins and volatile markets. The organization argues that current farm policy relies too heavily on emergency disaster aid instead of dependable long-term risk management tools farmers can count on. “Farmers need certainty and not short-term fixes,” NFU said in its call to Congress.
The group is urging lawmakers to create a stronger safety net that better reflects current production costs and market conditions while reducing reliance on after-the-fact disaster assistance. The organization is also promoting a new risk management proposal called IMSET, which would allow farmers to place up to 20 percent of cropland into conservation use in exchange for enhanced reference prices on remaining acres.
-NAFB