Wheat Growers Warn of 'Brutal Math' as Farm Bill Extension Expires

As the farm bill extension expired at midnight on Wednesday, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) urged Congress to pass a comprehensive five-year Farm Bill and provide immediate economic assistance to wheat growers. The current crisis has left farmers facing high input costs, with diesel near $7 a gallon, fertilizer prices sharply up, and grain prices that won't cover the cost of growing the crop.

According to NAWG President Jamie Kress, an Idaho farmer, 'America's wheat growers are out of runway.' The current farm bill extension has expired for the fourth year in a row, with Congress failing to deliver on its promises. The USDA can keep programs operating administratively through the end of the year, but farmers need the certainty of a five-year bill heading into the next growing season.

NAWG is calling on Congress to act quickly to pass a comprehensive Farm Bill that strengthens the farm safety net and provide near-term economic assistance to carry growers through the current crisis. Kress emphasized that 'economic assistance for farmers isn't a bailout, it's a bridge' that keeps multi-generation farms operating until the improved safety net can take effect.

The wheat growers face a brutal math, with planting, fertilizing, harvesting, and storage costs commonly running $7 to $10 or more per bushel against grain prices around $6.40. Every month Congress waits, more growers are making critical decisions without knowing what the rules will be.