Nunn looks for input on next Farm Bill

CLARKE COUNTY - Iowa 3rd District Rep. Zach Nunn expects the next approved Farm Bill won’t be utilized by all who were farming during its creation.

On a tour of southern Iowa Monday, Nunn stopped in rural Clarke County to meet with farmers and local officials to update his work on the bill and get input from others to know what should be reviewed and considered.

Who is farming, and finding ways to get younger generations involved, is critical for Nunn.

“The next farm bill covers the next five years from now. Most of those folks, the most experienced farmers, will no longer be farming,” he said about the age of farming and time of the five-year bill.

Nunn said in Iowa 40% of farmers are older than 69. More than 70% of farmers are at least 55. He sees a massive change in how farming is done from crops to livestock as generations change. He and others are wanting to provide a good start for younger people to get into agriculture.

Nunn and Jasmine Crockett of Texas introduced bipartisan legislation Monday, the Next Generation of Farmers Act, to support new and beginning farmers with loans to purchase farmland.

“Feeding and fueling the world is done because of the hands, hearts, and hard work of Iowa’s farmers,” Nunn put in a statement. “Young Americans who are willing to do the essential work we need should be commended and supported however we can help. This bill is a critical step forward to ensure young, starting farmers have the tools they need to purchase farmland and continue the tradition of agriculture in the United States.”

More than half of U.S. farmland is expected to change ownership over the next two decades.

“We have got to lower the barrier to farming for the next generation,” Crockett said. “Your average farmer today is 65 years old, and when it comes time to retire, the only people able to buy the land from our farmers are developers. When we lose this farmland, Americans lose a critical source of food, fiber, and fuel. But there’s good news: we actually have a new, eager generation of young, diverse people who are ready and raring to go into farming. However the outdated credit application rules bar many from getting the loans they need to purchase the farmland. The Next Generation of Farmers Act breaks down these barriers to credit access, and protects America’s farmland and food supply for generations to come.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Direct Farm Ownership Loans are accessible for eligible beginning farmers to assist with the purchase or growth of a farm or ranch. To be eligible, a beginning farmer must have three years of farm business experience or participate in a difficult to navigate waiver process. Due to these restrictions, a substantial portion of the funds allocated to the program go unused, despite high demand Nunn explained. In 2022, Iowa led the nation in the number of applicants for these loans.

The Next Generation of Farmers Act will reduce requirements for the USDA Direct Farm Ownership Loan program and open new avenues for qualification. Specifically, the bill: Reduces the three-year farm experience requirement to only one year.

“We need to try to get next generation farmers on board, get some mentorship and not wait years and years to buy land, equipment, livestock,” he said.

Farm Bill

Nunn wants crop insurance to be still included in the Farm Bill. Nunn said the bill is 82% SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the remaining is related to actual agriculture.

“There is an element in D.C. they just want to spend less money. I understand the idea but as a result we are just taking an axe to anything that has money on it,” he said. “You cut insurance out of the Farm Bill, you decapitate future farmers.”

He has heard the sentiment from others is just to have the Farm Bill be entirely for SNAP, but that would remove a vital part of SNAP.

“You like to have food on your plate, you got to grow it on the farm first,” he said. “It’s a bit of a frustration. California should know better.”

Nunn spoke about the Farm Bill in April in Union County and said there has been little progress since. He hopes a draft of the Farm Bill is done by end of the month. He said those in favor of farm-related things to include in the bill will have to “fight” in the future to guarantee a spot in the bill. He would like more rural development funding to improve workforce development and to benefit rural towns and counties.

Farm issues

Nunn also commented about California’s Proposition 12 which specifically lists how hogs can be raised for pork products to be sold in California. It will cost hog producers to remodel their facilities to meet the requirements. Those in the audience questioned how one state can dictate the industry in another. It is also expected to sharply raise the cost of pork products in California because of those costs.

Nunn doesn’t see how California can enforce their own rules.

“Make an example of one and the others will follow,” Nunn said, fearing California will file lawsuits against pork production that does not comply with its state’s rules.

Nunn said the Constitution refers to how one state shall not tell other states how to do its business.

“California is throwing its weight around based on its economy,” he said.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst and others are working on legislation to override California’s Proposition 12.

Nunn also fears California may ban all pork products, that are not under its requirements, that will make it much more difficult to get to ports to export to southeast Asia. That region of the world is a popular place for American pork products. Iowa is a national leader in pork production.

“It would destroy the pork industry as we know it,” he said. “Today it’s pork. Tomorrow it’s cattle.”

Nunn is wanting additional comment and opinions about details of the next Farm Bill. They can be sent to him online at https://nunn.house.gov/survey