As the federal government reopens, South Dakota farmers are getting some clarity, too, with a Farm Bill extension. But support organizations say smaller farms remain in a tough spot to boost land health and profits.
Once again, Congress reauthorized the Farm Bill by one more year, rather than renegotiate this sprawling agriculture policy meant to be updated every five years.
Mike Lavender, policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said it means U.S. Department of Agriculture programs are still mostly shaped around language and funding levels from nearly a decade ago. He said conditions are different now, from increasing climate threats to supply-chain woes seen during the pandemic.
“We all know issues in rural communities, farm country, urban communities,” he said. “We have to have those conversations in the context of a full Farm Bill because that’s how important they are. We have to give them that time, and these [one-]year extensions do not give us the space to do that.”
These groups also note it isn’t a “clean” extension. For instance, it eliminates payment limits for cost-sharing dollars when a farmer adopts practices to improve soil health. Opponents have said that clears the way for more large, corporate farms to get those funds, shutting out family farms. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act brought more conservation aid – but in South Dakota, the number of successful applicants is still below 50%.
Prior to the shutdown, the White House was considering a farmer bailout package, as it did in the first Trump administration, to counteract tariff impacts. Lavender said there are plenty of short-term needs, but he feels those solutions must be guided by long-term thinking to keep farmers on the land, now and in the future.
“We have to be thinking about making sure we have a farm safety net that works for everyone,” he said, “and I think we have a farm safety net that works for a lot of people, but I think there’s improvements that we could make.”
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has warned that the lack of a commitment to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies threatens farmers’ livelihoods. It says most aren’t part of big group health plans, and many will be affected by expected cost spikes. Democrats made those subsidies, due to expire at year’s end, their negotiating focal point during the shutdown. Republicans resisted and say they’re now seeking alternative fixes.
