Producers are still waiting…….
Movement on farm policy is starting to take shape and Brooke Rollins is making it clear why.
Speaking in a recent ag interview, Rollins said updates to reference prices were pushed forward through recent legislation as a stopgap measure while the farm bill remains stalled.
“We could not wait on a full farm bill to act,” Rollins said. “Producers needed some level of certainty now.”
Reference prices are tied directly to farm program payments and have not kept pace with rising input costs over the past decade.
Rollins acknowledged that gap.
“Costs have gone up across the board. The tools that support producers have to reflect that reality,” she said.
She also emphasized that more work still needs to be done.
“This is not a replacement for a full farm bill. Congress still has work to do to deliver long term certainty for agriculture,” Rollins said.
Producers are watching closely as policy decisions in the coming months will shape how risk is managed moving forward.