America still needs a new farm bill

OPINION:

America’s farmers are staring down a crisis. Farm bankruptcies are rising, commodity prices have plummeted, and profitability per acre is deep in the red, placing unprecedented financial stress on many family farms across our country.

Heightening the strain and uncertainty is the fact that Congress has yet to pass a new Farm Bill. After two years of short-term extensions that have left farmers in limbo, it’s past time to give producers the clarity and consistency they deserve. And while the government funding bill extended key programs for another year, it’s once again a temporary fix that doesn’t fully meet producers’ needs.

One thing a temporary extension can’t do is make proactive policy to help address the farm crisis. From the outset, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Penn., identified the need to safeguard farmers’ access to crop protection tools as a core Farm Bill priority — and has repeatedly underscored this fix as essential. The language would clarify existing federal law ensuring science-based labels for pesticides, giving farmers certainty that the products they rely on will be available for seasons to come.

Yet, fringe activist groups continue to spread false narratives about similar legislation and even call for bans on proven tools like glyphosate — despite its more than 50-year track record, the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence, and the rigorous regulatory process that supports its safety. At a time when farmers are facing historic uncertainty, it’s hard to imagine anything more tone deaf than hearing folks who have never set foot on a farm — let alone balanced a farm budget — try to strip American farmers of the tools they depend on to feed our country.

The consequences extend far beyond farmers’ livelihoods. They drive up food inflation, undermine Farm Bill programs, and further strain taxpayers across the country. A new Farm Bill remains essential to provide practical support to the backbone of rural America, and this provision must be part of it.

This provision is straightforward but vital. It reaffirms that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the nation’s authority on the safety of pesticide products, ensuring that product labels adhere to EPA’s science-based assessments. Without that clarity, farmers and consumers could face a confusing patchwork of conflicting rules, creating regulatory chaos for products that have been used safely for decades. Of course, states will continue to have the same responsibility to regulate the use and application of any pesticides within their borders.

The provision also aligns with the Make America Healthy Again Strategy, which recommends that EPA “work to ensure that the public has awareness and confidence in the agency’s robust pesticide review procedures.” By reinforcing the authority of EPA’s gold standard science, the provision strengthens public trust in the rigorous safeguards and review processes that govern pesticide safety nationwide. Likewise, it assures farmers that products upholding these high safety standards will continue to be available.

What would happen without this provision? According to an analysis by The Directions Group, losing access to crop protection tools like glyphosate would cost American farmers, consumers, and taxpayers a staggering $74 billion over the life of the 2025-2029 Farm Bill. This figure includes almost $50 billion in additional food costs for American households, $14.5 billion in lost farm income, and over $10 billion in direct costs to SNAP and crop insurance.

To put that $74 billion figure in perspective, it’s the equivalent of building 172,000 new single-family homes or providing free school lunches to every K-12 student in the country for more than 2 years. It’s huge.

As policymakers look to tighten budgets, this provision is smart, fiscally responsible policy that keeps Farm Bill costs down and saves taxpayers money. Without it, offsetting new costs would require finding billions of dollars in additional spending or cutting key programs entirely. That severe tradeoff would weaken every goal the Farm Bill is meant to achieve.

Congress must make a new Farm Bill, and this provision, a top priority. Chairman Thompson has shown steadfast leadership in this effort, and now policymakers on both sides must come together to finish the job.

Farmers, families, and our food security are depending on it.

• Elizabeth Burns-Thompson is the Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 agricultural organizations. To learn more, visit MODERNAGALLIANCE.ORG.