Growing up on my family’s fifth-generation farm in Garretson, South Dakota, I’ve seen these challenges evolve over the years – and today, farmers across the country face some of the greatest yet.
Our family produces corn, soybeans, alfalfa and small grains – many of the crops that support our food supply and keep our economy strong. But farms like ours are getting hit hard from every side by increasingly extreme weather.
Over the past several years, my family’s farm struggled in the face of prolonged drought, while producers in other areas of the country have dealt with flooding and freezing. In fact, major disasters caused over $21 billion in crop losses for American farms in 2023 alone.
These kinds of events not only threaten farmers’ livelihoods today, but also put the future of our farms and our families at risk – jeopardizing our ability to pass on our land and our life’s work to the next generation, and leading to lower food production and higher costs for American consumers.
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The good news? We have real tools at our disposal to preserve our land and protect our businesses. Using conservation practices on our land, we can adapt to the challenges posed by extreme weather events, improving the resilience and sustainability of our operations for decades to come.
The bad news? Well, it seems like some in Congress want to gut the programs that make it possible to put those tools into practice. And the current chaos in Washington has left many farmers confused and unsure about what the future holds – at a time when we need certainty more than ever.
If you’re like me and running a family farm, getting started with conservation practices would normally be out of reach. But federal conservation programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) help close the gap, and provide necessary technical and financial support – helping to not only build our resilience in the face of extreme weather, but also boost our bottom line.
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But these programs are now at risk. With the federal spending freeze left in limbo by the courts, it’s unclear if funding that’s already been promised to support farms across the country will even get to them. And to make matters worse, some in Congress also want to reduce how much money is available to farmers through these conservation programs – potentially redirecting the funds toward other initiatives that would not even address the serious challenges facing American agriculture and could make the U.S. more dependent on food imported from other countries.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m a conservative, so I understand why lawmakers are looking at every possible option to get our spending under control. But this chaos coming out of Washington is putting my business at risk.
At a time when farmers are reeling from the painful one-two punch of rising costs and historic disasters brought on by extreme weather, we need our leaders to keep their promises and protect this funding that so many of us are already counting on to protect our lands.
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If you need to be convinced of the value of these conservation programs, I invite you to take a look at my farm.
My family has always been dedicated to stewardship of the land. For generations, we’ve worked hard to care for our soil, water and ecosystems, knowing that these are the foundation for a successful farm. But as agriculture continues to evolve, the methods we use to protect our land must also change.
That’s where conservation practices come in. By embracing cover cropping, nutrient management and no-till practices, farmers have a proven path to enriching our soil, decreasing erosion and increasing crop resilience in the face of extreme weather threats.
Healthier soil means healthier crops, which translates into better yields and higher-quality food, fiber and fuel. Many farms have also been able to reduce fertilizer costs while reducing their environmental footprint.
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This past year, our farm was approved for CSP funding, which we’ve used to innovate on our farm, helping us sustain our soil health and increase our bottom line. Because of this program, we were able to plant cover crops and significantly reduce our tillage.
There’s no doubt that these changes have made our farm – and many others – more resilient and will help us prepare to navigate the challenges that volatile markets and extreme weather will continue to throw our way in the years to come.
At the end of the day, for farmers like me, being a good steward is just good business. If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you – and my family’s farm is proof that conservation practices can improve our soil, strengthen our business and build our resilience at a moment when we need it more than ever. This success simply couldn’t happen without the USDA conservation programs that make it possible for farmers to make these changes.
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With extreme weather already making farming more difficult, cutting these programs would leave us more vulnerable and less able to produce the food our communities depend on. We need continued support to keep this progress moving forward – and so do my fellow farmers across the country.
I hope our leaders in Congress can come together to put a stop to the current chaos, make sure farmers receive the funds they’ve been promised, and protect our ongoing investments in conservation – giving farmers the certainty we need during these challenging times. The future of our farms, our families and our food depends on it.
