With planting season upon us, farmers and ranchers enter the third year of an economic recession. War in the Middle East, uncertain trade markets, input prices through the roof, consolidation, and, of course, Mother Nature are just a few of the challenges facing farm country in 2026.
On top of all of that is the fact that Congress has yet to send a five-year farm bill to the president for signature. The last time a farm bill was passed was in 2018. Farmers and ranchers face enough uncertainty this year that the lack of clarity in farm policy will only worsen. Congress needs to pass a farm bill, and it needs to be the right farm bill.
The right farm bill invests in our two greatest assets as a country: our people and our land. We have a patriotic duty to care for and steward the soil. Conserving our soil and investing in the people who care for that soil is essential for our nation’s economic and cultural health.
The right conservation and investment are critical to our future. Investing in our farmers and ranchers allows them to innovate. Each farm has different needs and challenges. It is critical that there is flexibility in policies to meet each operation’s needs. How someone farms in northern Iowa is different from how someone farms in western Kansas. Political leaders must understand this.
As a farmer who farms, I know soil is where a farmer’s wealth is. Investing in good policies and dollars into our farms and soil is not just good for farmers and rural communities, but our nation as a whole. When we produce the goods, the world needs and do it in a way that improves our soil, water, and the natural world that sustains all of us, we deliver great benefits for our communities, our nation, and our world.
Farm bills have also included investments in the Americans who buy the food we grow. Rural, urban, and suburban communities all benefit from WIC and SNAP nutritional programs. The right farm bill combines investments in nutrition, as well as other agriculturally connected policies that impact the quality of our air and water in our living, working, and recreational spaces.
The right farm bill must include smart policy prescriptions for farmers to develop and use tools like cover crops, terraces, buffers, managed grazing, new crops, and on-farm energy production, conservation, and storage. These are just a few of the innovations that farmers have used for centuries to conserve our soil while making our farms more resilient.
Many of the most popular conservation programs are over-subscribed, meaning more people sign up than there is funding available. Putting the people who care for that land first should be an American value that we all can champion. Unfortunately, some policies treat the land as an asset on a balance sheet to be traded and treated just like another commodity. This is far removed from the traditional land ethic of family farm agriculture and land stewardship that was championed by Theodore Roosevelt, among others.
There is no more conservative ethic than to hand down the same or improved quality of land to the next generation. Having policies focused on the people and land first is a way to get good policy that makes a real difference on the landscape.
One of the biggest challenges we face is consolidation in agriculture. It has hurt our farmers and rural communities. With consolidation devastating rural and agricultural economies, it is time for a competition title within the farm bill that guarantees fair markets for farmers and consumers. Input prices for fertilizer were already putting a squeeze on producers. With the war in the Middle East, those pressures are only getting worse. There are many ways to deal with consolidation, but a competition title in the farm bill is the best way to give Congress more say when it comes to agricultural markets. Farmers and ranchers are looking for fairness. A robust competition title in the farm bill would be an important step in the right direction.
If we can pass the right farm bill, we can have healthier soil, healthier people and healthier communities in every congressional district in our nation. That means for every urban, suburban, and rural voter in America. The right farm bill can return normalcy and some certainty, which those in rural agricultural communities especially need right now. Congress needs to empower farmers and ranchers to invest in our operations. Currently, with margins so tight, it is hard to put any money toward improvements on our farms. This hurts the long-term viability of the farming operation and also hurts our rural communities. If Congress doesn’t pass the right farm bill, the future of family farm agriculture in the United States is at risk.
Our people and our land, especially the soil, need renewed investment. We know that Congress will be making important choices in the farm bill. Status quo means they will continue to favor global agricultural businesses over family farmers, urban consumers, and the health of our soil. We must demand that they choose people, land, and food security over consolidating power and wealth in agriculture. That includes investments in our farms, smart safety net programs for consumers, and a robust competition title to make sure America has the food and farming systems needed for the future.
Do we value family farm agriculture enough to invest in it? Congress has the ability. Will it invest?
Joshua Manske farms, manages farmland and sells farm real estate.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: We need the right farm bill, not just any farm bill | Opinion
Reporting by Joshua Manske, Guest columnist / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
