America's wheat farmers are asking Congress for a new five-year farm bill and near-term economic help as the latest extension of the 2018 Farm Bill reaches its expiry, Farms.com reports. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) says repeated delays have left producers, lenders and rural communities without the certainty they need.
NAWG President Jamie Kress, a wheat farmer in Idaho, said growers have endured years of economic strain while waiting for Congress to update farm policy. The association points to diesel prices near $7 a gallon in some markets, higher fertilizer bills and wheat prices that remain below what many producers need to cover planting, harvesting, storage and other costs.
Some USDA programmes can keep running administratively until the end of the calendar year, but farm groups say producers need a multi-year law now, as they make acreage, financing, equipment and input decisions for the coming seasons. A farm bill sets the support programmes, conservation schemes, crop insurance provisions and rural development policy that farms plan around.
NAWG is therefore asking for two things: a comprehensive five-year farm bill that strengthens the safety net, and short-term economic assistance as a bridge until the new policy takes effect. Industry leaders describe the aid as temporary, with modernised farm policy that reflects current production costs as the real aim.
Congress has relied on short-term extensions of the 2018 law for several years. Both the House and the Senate advanced farm bill work in 2026, but no final agreement has been reached. Farm organisations warn that prolonged uncertainty spreads beyond farms to suppliers, lenders and local businesses in rural regions.
Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Source: Farms.com
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