Farmers feel left behind and forgotten. “I should be in a good mood. My Illini just won and I had a nice weekend with my family, but to be real honest, I’m frustrated,” Jared Gregg, a seventh-generation farmer from Piatt County, told the Tribune in early September.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had just called and asked him to complete a survey when he was in the midst of preparing for a busy harvest season.
It was another reminder that the federal government is out of touch with farmers, said Gregg. Yet again, Congress is unlikely to pass an updated farm bill. The comprehensive package of legislation that sets agriculture and food policy is supposed to be updated every five years.
But partisan gridlock got in the way last year, forcing Congress to simply extend the 2018 bill another year. That extension expired Sept. 30 and, with a presidential election less than two months away, Congress isn’t focused on finalizing a new five-year plan.
Experts say the lawmakers are likely to extend the 2018 bill again. “I’d like to see the government put forward as much effort as American farmers are putting forward,” Gregg said. “Watching them play politics is a tough pill to swallow when prices are down and expenses are up.
” Consumer grocery prices rose 25% between 2019 and 2023 and have continued to rise, but this hasn’t translated to extra income for farmers. The price hikes are getting tacked on due to supply chain issues between the farm and the store shelves.