Hinds Today

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) emphasized the necessity for Congress to utilize a new Farm Bill to modernize the farm safety net, aiming to support and attract more young Americans into farming and ranching. As the ranking member of the Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade Subcommittee, Hyde-Smith led a hearing titled "Pathways to Farming: Helping the Next Generation of Farmers."

Christian Good, owner/operator of Christian Good Farms in Macon, Miss., was among those providing testimony. Good discussed the challenges posed by outdated provisions from the 2018 Farm Bill, which Congress extended until September 30. He highlighted issues such as high input costs, commodity price downturns, high interest rates, and an insufficient farm safety net.

“As we kick off the 2024 crop season, the lack of a meaningful safety net that our current farm bill provides is a real concern for farmers in my community,” Good stated. “The statutory reference prices in the 2018 Farm Bill are so outdated that I can confidently say that if we were to receive those prices for corn and soybeans, my farm and my family’s farm would be out of business.”

Good further stressed the importance of passing a robust Farm Bill in 2024 for securing the future of all farmers, particularly young ones.

Members of the subcommittee called for a new five-year Farm Bill to enhance access to risk management tools and credit programs for young and beginning farmers. Only nine percent of American farmers are under age 35, with an average age of 58.

Hyde-Smith expressed her gratitude towards those who have managed to enter or continue farming despite existing challenges but warned that without an updated Farm Bill addressing their needs, their ability to sustain farming would be severely compromised.