Farmers can’t afford the uncertainty of waiting another year for Congress to pass an updated five-year farm bill, a delegation of Iowa Farm Bureau members told lawmakers last week in Washington.

Farmers have endured significant upheaval since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, including the COVID-19 pandemic, record inflation, rising supply costs and global unrest, they said. 

Updates to the farm safety net are needed to help farmers manage the risk of today’s prices and provide certainty for long-term planning.

“Today’s prices are barely covering, or don’t cover, our input costs. Things have changed, and we need the farm bill to keep up with that,” said Brian Jones, an Adair County Farm Bureau member. 

“We’re already operating on year six of a five-year farm bill, and now we’re looking at a seventh year. The timing of this is important to us. Farming is a long-range planning game. A lot of...