Stabenow, Thompson, Farm Bureau comment on USDA reports
Harvest
| The Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service released reports showing that household food insecurity rose in 2023 and that farm income is expected to go down in 2024. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said the two reports showed the importance of passing a farm bill that addresses both issues, while House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., issued a statement on the farm income report and the American Farm Bureau Federation Market Intel service issued an analysis of the farm income report. After the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service released reports showing that household food insecurity rose in 2023 and that farm income is expected to go down in 2024, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said the reports showed the importance of passing a farm bill that addresses both issues. The food security report showed that 13.5% of households (18 million households) were food insecure in 2023, meaning that at some time the households had difficulty providing enough food for all their members because of a lack of resources, according to what adult respondents told census takers. The report noted, “The 2023 prevalence of food insecurity was statistically significantly higher than the 12.8% recorded in 2022 (17 million households), 10.2% in 2021 (13.5 million households) and the 10.5% in 2020 (13.8 million households). ERS explained, “Data for the USDA ERS food security reports came from an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census as the December supplement to the monthly Current Population Survey.” “USDA ERS sponsored the annual Food Security Supplement and compiled and analyzed the responses. The 2023 FSS included 30,863 households, which comprised a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of about 133 million households.” The FSS asked one adult respondent per household about experiences and behaviors that indicate food insecurity during calendar year 2023, such as being unable to afford balanced meals, cutting the size of meals, or being hungry because of too little money for food. The food security status of the household was assigned based on the number of food insecure conditions reported. “The current low unemployment rate raises questions about why food insecurity has risen. In detailed analysis published Friday, Helena Bottemiller Evich of Food Fix wrote that the main culprits appear to be the end of pandemic-related food aid and inflation. “While CPI (Consumer Price Index) data show that the rate of grocery inflation has slowed substantially, food is still just so much more expensive than it was a few years ago, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon,” Bottemiller Evich wrote. ERS also reported that net farm income in 2024 is forecast to decrease $6.5 billion (4.4%) to $140 billion. USDA noted that the rate of decline was lower than in 2023 when it decreased by 19.5%. USDA also noted that the decline followed a record high in 2022. |
| Stabenow said in a news release, “It’s absolutely unacceptable that food insecurity rates increased for the second year in a row and that farm income has continued to decline. No one should worry about putting food on the table in this country, and farmers, big and small, should not have to worry about whether or not they will be able to make ends meet.” “These reports confirm what we already knew. We need a farm bill that protects critical food assistance for families and provides the support farmers need to thrive. A farm bill that helps a single mother keep her family fed and healthy, and a farm bill that lays the groundwork to ensure that a farmer can pass their operation onto the next generation. “This has always been the foundation of the farm bill, pairing the farm and family coalitions together and working toward a common goal — not pitting one against the other,” Stabenow said. “When the Senate returns next week, I am determined to do everything in my power to pass a farm bill that keeps families fed, farmers farming, and rural communities strong.” |
“Declining commodity prices, record farm production costs driven by the reckless spending of the Biden-Harris administration, the largest agricultural trade deficit on record, and an outdated farm safety net threaten to wipe out family farms across the country,” Thompson said.
“These numbers are more than data points on spreadsheets, they tell a story of struggling American farmers desperate for relief, certainty and stability. The bipartisan Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 is the legislative remedy our rural communities so desperately need.
“It’s time to put partisan bickering and red lines aside and pass a farm bill,” Thompson said.
Farm Bureau said, “Notably, in 2022, a record year for net farm income, 57% of farm operations reported a financial loss, according to the Census of Agriculture.”
“This disparity highlights the disconnect between national income averages and the individual financial reality many farmers face. The fact that the majority of farms experienced losses in such a high-income year underscores the fragility of the farm economy, even when the sector as a whole appears strong. Without targeted policy changes, such as an updated safety net in a farm bill, farmers will struggle even more in the face of declining income and rising debt.”
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