Supporting Farmers and Ranchers
By Sen. John Thune
There’s hardly a corner of South Dakota where you won’t find a farm, ranch, or some other trace of our rich agricultural heritage – it’s the lifeblood of our state. Representing the hardworking South Dakotans who grow food and fuel and raise livestock is a responsibility I take seriously. So I value the conversations I have with producers as I travel around the state.
Unfortunately, what I’m hearing from farmers and ranchers lately is not good. Higher input costs, higher interest rates, and lower commodity prices are a dangerous combination for farms and ranches. Add to that the natural disasters and droughts that have impacted agriculture around the country, including in South Dakota, and it’s clear the situation is dire.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects net farm income will decrease 4 percent this year, after a 19 percent drop last year. Over the last two years row crop producers have lost $50 billion, and projections for next year are not any better. Behind these numbers are the individual farms and ranches and the families who run them seeing red ink and wondering if their operation can weather the worst.
Farmers and ranchers need help. I share the frustration of many producers that these issues have not yet been addressed by an updated farm bill. I’ve been pushing hard for Congress to take up a farm bill, and I will continue doing everything I can to advance a bill that helps South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers through these tough times, including strengthening the farm safety net and modernizing conservation programs to prioritize producer flexibility.
It’s common sense, but I believe that the farm bill should be focused on farms and ranches. For too long, unfortunately, Democrats in the Senate have prioritized their climate agenda and out-of-control spending rather than focusing on agriculture policy. As a result, an updated farm bill is now more than a year overdue.
Agriculture is the lifeblood of South Dakota, and it’s also the lifeblood of America. There’s not much in our country that doesn’t rely on farmers and ranchers in some way. For the last few years, they have faced challenge after challenge. I’m continuing to work with my colleagues to get the farm bill done and provide the support farmers and ranchers need to keep going for the next growing season and the next generation.
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Would something like, oh say, a farm bill that get updated by Congress every 5 years help any?
if us farmers worked like Washington there would be a lot of hungry people
When I googled what is in the farm bill, I got this.
“Nutrition programs account for 80% of spending, followed by crop insurance (8%), conservation (6%), and commodity programs (5%). The remaining one percent included trade subsidies, rural development, research, forestry, energy, livestock, and horticulture/organic agriculture.”
Essentially this is a SNAP bill disguised as a farm bill. Why is a welfare program the majority of spending in an ag bill?
that’s right, it has always been that way, the food stamps, SNAP, school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC, commodities; they are all under the department of agriculture. The more they do, the fatter Americans get.
Just another government agency making things worse, like the Department of Education, maybe there’s a correlation between rising BMIs and falling test scores.
a farm bill creates and manages the ag economy. all of these programs combine to establish a modicum of stability for producers and processors and ultimately consumers. the worst poverty areas on the planet have volatile and impossible food chains. our farm bills make sure we do not suffer this.
if the objective is to turn us into a nation of beached whales, they’re doing a bang-up job of it
whose fault is that? people make their own choices. freedom. freedom state. check it out.
Can someone explain to Thune what the tariffs will do to the ag economy? And can someone explain to me why rural America voted for a party knowing that they were going to impose such tariffs? Madness
Based on what Trump did the last time, we will raise costs on workers to fund the wealthy tax cuts while farmers are sent checks monthly to allow for 70% of our ag exports to go unsold and farmer suicide rates reach that of the farm crisis in the 80s. But hey, Brazil is killing in the ag markets now so I guess he did make Brazil great again.
Senator Thune is correct. “Farmers and Ranchers are the lifeblood of America.” Now, Senator, how about buckling down and producing a Farm Bill. Or…are we waiting, killing time, until the Trump Administration comes in, tosses the existing bill which has been negotiated for over a year, and starts over again.
Take it up with Chuck Schumer. He is still running the Senate until the new Congress is sworn in.
Anyone think of getting government out of farming? Farm bill is a small part of it. How many federal agencies have regulations limiting farmers option?