Today’s Harvest Blog

The Farm Bill has been bogged down since the Fall while Congress has battled over funding the government. Given it’s an election year, Congressional leaders have acknowledged if the Farm Bill isn’t passed by mid-year, it will likely be extended for another year leaving it for the next Congress to complete. Several Farm Credit backed proposals have been introduced this Congress that would allow Farm Credit to lean into meeting the capital needs of rural America. The intent is for these “marker bills” to be included in the Farm Bill. Here is a summary of four of them.

The USDA and its partner vendors have announced the opening of the application period for Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which directs USDA to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. 

Since 1840, The USDA Census of Agriculture has been the only complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. If you own or operate a farm that normally sells $1,000 or more of produce annually, this is your opportunity to make sure your operation is counted in this year's census.

Last week, Farm Credit staff, directors, farmers, ranchers, foresters and fishermen from across the nation traveled to Washington, D.C., for the bi-annual Farm Credit Fly-In. The two-day event consisted of hundreds of legislative visits, both in-person and virtual, as well as a marketplace showcasing agricultural products from across the country.