Nebraska agriculture groups worry Farm Bill delay brings more uncertainty

LINCOLN, Neb. —

Nebraska agriculture leaders say farmers are facing another year of financial uncertainty, and time is running out for federal lawmakers to inject clarity into the markets with the advancement of a new Farm Bill.

Last week, a Senate committee failed to advance a new Farm Bill, and the body has gone into recess until September, leaving Nebraska producers and consumers waiting for lawmakers to resolve a dispute that stalled the legislation.

“Uncertainty and volatility is not your friend when you’re already working with really small or slightly negative margins,” said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union.

The Senate Agriculture Committee’s attempt to advance the farm bill last week was derailed by a dispute over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“SNAP provisions are always a challenge because that’s where the money is,” said Jordan Dux of the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Nutrition programs account for about 80% of farm bill spending. Democrats sought to delay for two years a transition that would require states to assume more administrative costs for SNAP. Republicans opposed the proposal.

“The Democrats are saying, ‘Let’s have a timeout here for two years until we get this sorted out,’” Hansen said.

Sen. Deb Fischer did not respond to a request for comment Monday. In a social media post last week, Fischer criticized Democrats over the stalled legislation.

“This is a massive disservice to producers and communities across the country,” Fischer wrote. “I certainly hope they wake up and realize the pain this will inflict on American families.”

The disagreement resulted in a party-line vote. Republicans would have had the advantage if all members of the Agriculture Committee had been present, but the absence of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put the majority party in a pinch.

“That brought the vote total on the Republicans basically lower than where it needed to be,” Dux said.

The stalled farm bill has provisions that could increase demand for Nebraska corn, including a proposal to allow year-round sales of E15. But Dux is optimistic lawmakers will return to it after the Senate break.

“Nothing is dead by any means, but certainly it is delayed,” Dux said. “And that is unfortunate because, again, these things take time.”

Nebraska farmers continue to face high input costs and other financial pressures, while some of the federal programs they rely on remain unresolved.

“We kicked the can three times down the road, and that’s three times too many,” Hansen said.