Mark Watne

JAMESTOWN — Twenty-six North Dakota Farmers Union members are in Washington, D.C., urging members of Congress to pass a new farm bill as part of a three-day National Farmers Union legislative fly-in. The current bill, set to expire on Sept. 30, is an extension of the 2018 farm bill.

“It’s like deja vu. We were in this exact same position a year ago when Congress failed to pass a new five-year bill,” NDFU President Mark Watne said in a news release. “Kicking the can down the road isn’t a solution to the problems we face. We need program certainty that only a new farm bill can provide.”

Rising input costs, declining net farm income, growing concentration in the agriculture sector, more frequent and devastating natural disasters and food security for American families are pressing issues, Farmers Union leaders said in the release.

“Family farmers and ranchers need a stronger farm safety net, better protection from natural disasters, and robust, farmer-friendly conservation programs. We can’t wait until the bottom falls out of the farm economy to take action,” Watne said.

Along with visiting all 535 congressional offices, Farmers Union members will be meeting with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and agency representatives from the Federal Trade Commission, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.