Click play to listen to this article.

The government shutdown is getting attention, but farmers also wonder where things stand with agriculture programs now that the Farm Bill has expired.

With federal lawmakers locked in a budget stalemate, the current Farm Bill ended Tuesday. Often updated every five years, the sprawling package had been running on shorter extensions since 2023. Without new action, some critical programs will continue, but others are paused.

Image

Michael Happ, program associate for climate and rural communities at the Midwest-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, said Congress should know farmers are operating under a much different model than 2018, the last time a Farm Bill passed.

"Input costs are through the roof; corn prices in particular are way down," he said, "and then, yeah, we have the uncertainty from the tariffs."

Economists have said tariffs were felt during President Donald Trump's first term – but now, global customers such as China are buying commodities from other nations. Happ said even for programs designed to continue when there is no Farm Bill, the government shutdown means key staffers might not be available.

The Institute is voicing concerns about specific services being unable to function, including conservation, research and supporting clean energy on farms. Happ said he also fears an erosion of trust.

"A lot of these support programs are not meeting the moment," he said, "and so, farmers are kind of asking themselves, 'Is it worth it to work with the government on these programs?'"

This summer's major tax-cut-and-spending bill pushed through by Republicans did include provisions meant to boost the farm safety net. But skeptics have said any benefits won't surface until well into 2026, as many farmers worry about bankruptcy. They don't think those provisions go far enough, and have warned that cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP will offset gains for rural economies.