Current Farm Economics Reminds Us Why We Need a Farm Safety Net

With a third straight year of declining farm income and reports of agriculture credit conditions deteriorating, we are reminded why lawmakers put a safety net in place for farmers, and why that safety net must be affordable and widely available to all producers in the country.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, which revealed the results of an ag credit survey, noted, “agricultural producers continued to reduce capital and household spending as profit margins generally remained weak.” And, these strenuous conditions are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

It’s a fact that Todd Van Hoose, the president and CEO of the Farm Credit Council, recently discussed in an editorial for Farm Policy Facts.

“There is a lot of pain in farm country right now and we are seeing a lot of farmers limiting or foregoing equipment purchases and recalibrating other expense controls to balance their operations against the new commodity price level,” Van Hoose explained.

Consequently, the problem is not isolated to farmers and ranchers. It extends to the entire rural economy and beyond. Randy Nelson, the president of CHS Capitol, LLC, the financing arm of a large farmer-owned cooperative, told members of the House Agriculture Committee earlier this year that, “this is a far-reaching problem that goes down Main Street in the rural communities.”

Recent headlines suggest as much with John Deere announcing in July that it would cut more than 100 jobs at its East Moline, Illinois plant. This was followed by an August announcement to lay off another 120 jobs in Waterloo, Iowa. The company said both decisions were made due to anticipated decreases in the sales of agricultural equipment.

These are uncertain times for our agricultural producers and rural Americans, and the last thing they need is to have risk management tools like crop insurance ripped out from under them as some special interest groups in Washington, D.C., are pushing to do.

Critics spread false information about the mechanics and cost of crop insurance and then propose gutting it altogether. Meanwhile, they fail to appreciate that crop insurance has been the one thing that farmers, ranchers, and their lenders can count on in lean times.

“The role that farm policy and crop insurance plays in enabling that production cannot be overlooked or dismissed,” concluded Van Hoose. “In order to maintain and support a healthy, vibrant, competitive, and innovative farm sector, we must continue to invest in it.”