Q&A: Farm Policy and National Agriculture Week

Q&A: Farm Policy and National Agriculture Week

With U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley

Q: How are you working to address uncertainty in the farm economy?

A: With planting season around the corner, I'm hearing a message loud and clear from Iowa farmers. High input costs are hammering their bottom lines. Rising diesel prices add fuel to a fire already burning brightly in the farm economy that's impacting the entire food supply chain. From my seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, I'm leading a bipartisan call to boost consumption of American farm products and lower input costs. That includes ramping up domestic biofuel markets and ending the Biden-era tariffs on phosphorous, anhydrous ammonia and potash that are driving up fertilizer costs for farmers. Specifically, I'm pushing to get year-round E15 across the finish line. Congress needs to stop pussyfooting around and get this bill to the president's desk. President Trump announced in Iowa he's ready to sign it into law. Making E15 available 365 days a year across the country would pump $14 billion into the farm economy and lower prices at the pump for consumers. Don't forget, homegrown biofuels help displace foreign oil and boost our nation's energy and national security.

Witnesses at a recent Senate Agriculture Committee hearing delivered a no-nonsense consensus from farm country: producers are hurting. Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas described what farmers across the country are facing, "If you're putting something in the ground today, you're losing money."

That's because commodity prices are below the cost of production. This is an unsustainable situation. Farmers want to earn money from the marketplace, not the federal treasury. As a lifelong family farmer, I won't let Washington take farmers for granted. I often remind policymakers that only two percent of the population feeds the other 98 percent. Food doesn't grow in supermarkets. Last year, I worked to strengthen the farm safety net and supported increases to reference prices and crop insurance subsidies to reflect the downturn in the farm economy. These updates take effect Oct. 1. I'm also working to finalize the new farm bill that's been extended twice since the 2018 farm bill expired on Sept. 30, 2023. I'm glad the House Agriculture Committee passed its bipartisan farm bill on March 5. From the U.S. Senate, I'll continue pushing to deliver a farm bill that brings certainty to farm country, protects natural resources, boosts research, expands markets and empowers the people who grow the nation's food to earn a living and pass on their livelihoods from one generation to the next.

Q: What changes are underway at USDA to better serve farmers?

A: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins unveiled USDA's modernized "One Farmer, One File" initiative that's designed to serve America's farmers more effectively and efficiently. The new platform puts farmers first by improving services and how they interface with the USDA. Farmers don't have time to waste navigating bureaucratic red tape. "One Farmer, One File" replaces antiquated systems to ensure a farmer's records follow the farmer. With electronic sign-up options, the updates are designed to expedite approvals and get farm payments into farmer's pockets sooner, rather than later. The multi-year initiative will include an advanced acreage reporting platform to simplify the process for farmers. Importantly, farmers needing in-person support or preferring paper applications and traditional acreage reporting may continue to do so at their local Farm Service Agency county office.

Iowa crop farmers need to keep in mind the enrollment period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program is open through April 17, 2026. For those who filed their 2025 crop acreage report for eligible commodities, farmers may choose to expedite their payment by applying online through the USDA at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/farmer-bridge-assistance-fba-program. Farmers also can request a pre-filled application from their local Farm Service Agency office.

National Agriculture Week is March 15-21, 2026. Senator Grassley is honored to represent the family farmer and champion Iowa's farm economy that ranks #1 in corn, pig, egg and biofuels production.

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