Ag Groups Sound Alarm About Farming Future

Agriculture groups sounded the alarm about the economic crisis in rural America in a letter sent today to Congress. Fifty-six organizations representing a cross-section of agriculture signed the letter, sending a strong message to Congress. The letter describes an existential threat looming over many farms, stating that, “America’s farmers, ranchers, and growers are facing extreme economic pressures that threaten the long-term viability of the U.S. agriculture sector. An alarming number of farmers are financially underwater, farm bankruptcies continue climbing, and many farmers are having difficulty securing the financing they need to grow a crop this year.” The letter also said that for the last three or four years, the reality of record-high input costs and rapidly declining and historically low crop and specialty crop prices has culminated in negative farming margins and losses approaching $100 billion nationwide. Losses for commodity crops and specialty crops remain deep, and the gap needs to be closed.

Source: NAFB