One of the highlights of the Midwest Agriculture Summit was a farm policy panel discussion. The farm bill was an obvious topic. American Sugarbeet Growers Association President Neil Rockstad said there is a sense of urgency. “If we’re operating under the constraints of the 2018 farm bill we’re operating under 2018 numbers in 2024 which isn’t very effective.” Another extension will be necessary if new legislation can’t be passed by the end of September. American Soybean Association President Josh Gackle said that uncertainty is not good for farmers. “One of the big struggles for the House and Senate is the overall cost of the bill and where are you going to shift dollars,” said Gackle. “The entire bill costs $1.2 trillion; that number just grows because of inflation. If you’re working on building a five-year farm bill in 2025 rather than 2024, it just gets more expensive and harder to get done.”
