The American Farm Bureau Federation today sent letters to President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders to emphasize the severe economic pressures facing America’s farmers and ranchers. Falling crop prices, skyrocketing expenses and trade disputes are creating conditions that are too much for farm families to bear.
“Across the country, farms are disappearing as families close the gates on the farms tended by their parents, grandparents and generations before them,” wrote AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Every farm lost takes with it generations of knowledge, community leadership and the heartbeat of local economies: fewer kids in schools, fewer trucks at the grain elevator, fewer small businesses that keep rural towns alive. As those farms disappear, so too does America’s food independence: our ability to feed ourselves without relying on foreign supply chains.”
Prices paid for crops have fallen off a cliff since 2022, and U.S. agriculture has experienced a trade deficit during the same time period. Lingering questions with trade partners, particularly China, have added to volatility in farm country and left farmers with uncertainty about their futures.
“In the short term, we urge leaders to authorize bridge payments for farmers before the end of 2025,” wrote Duvall. “These payments must be robust enough to address sector-wide gaps and provide meaningful support as the federal government works to recalibrate trade strategies, stabilize prices, and strengthen key market relationships.”
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