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Nearly 5,000 people attended a farm convention in downtown San Antonio, where the main topic of discussion was getting a new farm bill through Congress.
Joe Gilson, the director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), said farmers need a new bill with protections for them.
"We have increased inflation; we have lower commodity prices," he said. "So, farmers really need an increase in the farm safety net. That's our number one priority. We also want to see more money for research, more money for on-farm conservation and more money for foreign market access."
Gilson said government input subsidies for farmers are not helping them make ends meet.
"It's a tough time right now because of those low commodity prices and the inputs have not given us any relief with fertilizer, fuel — all higher than normal. It's really pinching the bottom line of the farmer."
Gilson said a drought across South and West Texas and wildfires in parts of North Texas have made farming even more difficult.
The bureau reported that no one buys insurance for good times, and similarly, farm bill programs provide critical tools to help farmers and ranchers manage risk.
Such programs provide a basic level of protection to help offset bad economic times and severe weather.
A farm bill is reauthorized every five years. Congress passed an extension in 2018 that has now expired.
Gilson said with a new Congress and new administration, it was now the time to push for a farm bill that can pass with bi-partisan support.
The AFBF said the food and agriculture industry supports more than 46 million U.S. jobs, or more than 14% of total U.S. employment, and contributes $1 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product.
