Washington, D.C. Update

December 6, 2024
Boozman Stresses Economic Assistance Relief for Struggling Farm Families
U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, urged Congress to provide emergency economic assistance to agricultural producers facing market losses. 

“It’s clear the pain our farm families are living through,” Boozman said in remarks on the Senate floor. “For some producers, this is the second or third consecutive year of negative cash flow. This means many farm families are ending 2024 in the red, unable to pay off this year’s operating loan, unable to get the loan to farm in 2025, and face the reality of being the generation to have lost the family farm due to extreme market conditions beyond their control.”
Increased input costs, high interest rates and depressed commodity prices have created significant challenges for rural America. Boozman has continued calling for federal assistance to support American producers and the industry’s long-term outlook.

“We need to provide producers with the certainty and predictability to be able to go to the bank and have confidence that help is on the way so they can continue farming,” Boozman said.

Watch Full Remarks
New Terrain Analysis Adds to Case for Enhanced Farm Bill; Rice 2025 Crop Revenue Shortfall Forecast at $144 per Acre

A report by Terrain economic analysis this week forecast that “For 2025, the cost of production for major field crops is expected to remain elevated but down marginally from 2024 for all major crops except cotton. Costs are projected to be higher for seed, chemicals, custom operations, repairs and maintenance, and taxes. Lower costs are projected for fertilizers, fuel and electricity, and interest.” 
As a result, Terrain forecasts the average cost of production for rice in 2025 to be $1,305 per acre, the average returns to be $1,162 per acre, for an average projected revenue shortfall of $144 per acre. While the cost of production per acre was forecast to be highest for rice among the major field crops, the projected revenue shortfall is highest for cotton at $339 per acre.

The following charts summarize some of these findings by Terrain. You can read the five-page report and review other data here.


These bleak projections are more evidence that US Rice Producers Association and other farm advocates are using on Capitol Hill to convince Members of Congress of the urgent need to provide assistance to producers for economic losses. Despite the losses confronting many farmers, agriculture champions on the Hill are finding it challenging in the current budget and political environment to drive a consensus to provide the funds necessary for economic relief. USRPA and its representatives in Washington continue to work with champions on the Hill to push for economic assistance before Congress adjourns for the year in two short weeks.
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