As drought and wildfires ravage agricultural land, farmers and ranchers are looking to Washington D.C. for disaster relief assistance. But they can’t look to Congress because nobody’s there.
Congress’ five-week summer recess has coincided with the worst drought the U.S. has seen in decades, a case of bad timing that has been made worse by Congress’ failure to reauthorize the Farm Bill before heading home for break in early August.
Without a Farm Bill reauthorization, disaster relief and insurance programs that expired last year have not been renewed, leaving farmers and ranchers in limbo during a summer of extreme weather.
Jake Cummins, executive vice president of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, said he hears a lot of ideas about what needs to be done in the face of widespread natural disasters but he doesn’t see much action. He says it’s a byproduct of “election-year politics.”
“It’s all just talk because Congress is at home politicking,” Cummins said. “Everyone’s trying to use the drought as a political lever – the reality is that everyone’s using it but nobody’s doing anything.”
The Senate passed a long-term Farm Bill in June that included provisions for disaster and drought relief. But the House has not yet acted on a long-term bill, nor did it pass a one-year extension proposal before summer recess.
The House, however, did pass a short-term measure to provide funds for disaster relief. But the Senate didn’t take any action. President Barack Obama has called on Congress to pass a Farm Bill.
“They need to pass a farm bill that not only helps farmers and ranchers respond to these kinds of disasters, but also makes necessary reforms and gives them some certainty year-round,” Obama said earlier this month.
“That’s the single best way we can help rural communities right now, and also in the long-term.”
Without Congressional action, the Obama administration has taken steps this month to assist farmers and ranchers. The administration allocated $30 million for disaster relief and announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s intent to purchase $170 million worth of meat to help drought-stricken producers dealing with high feed costs.
The USDA has implemented emergency hay and grazing measures and is offering modified emergency loans, which Cummins says are important in times like these.
“There are a number of things that are being done but the biggest problem is that Congress hasn’t passed a damn Farm Bill,” Cummins said.
It’s unclear when Congress will address the Farm Bill again after it reconvenes Sept. 10, putting the bill’s timeline is jeopardy. The current bill is set to expire on Sept. 30 and there is speculation that Congress may not come to a resolution until after November’s elections.
Chris Christiaens with the Montana Farmers Union said representatives from the National Farmers Union are heading to Washington D.C. in September to lobby for a long-term Farm Bill when Congress gets back in session.
On Sept. 12, Christiaens said 39 agriculture-related groups, including commodity dealers and finance firms, plan to rally at the nation’s capitol to call for quick action on a long-term measure.
Without Farm Bill reauthorization, Christiaens says 37 programs will disappear and agriculture funding will be uncertain, raising the possibility of relying on a continuing resolution. A long-term bill is important for agricultural planning purposes, Christiaens said.
“If you don’t fund these things through appropriations, where’s the money going to come from?” he said. “You can limp along, I guess.”
Cummins has seen bad droughts before and says the agriculture community knows how to endure. But the losses and tragedies still carry great weight.
“You just suffer through it and pray through it and try to get on with it,” he said. “You don’t last very long in this business if you can’t do that.”