From the reliance on ad-hoc subsidies to research lagging behind agricultural powerhouses like China, the U.S. ag economy needs a systematic overhaul focused on farmers and building a more sustainable future, former executives at large ag trade groups and a USDA appointee told the media on Aug. 20.
These ag leaders gathered digitally to discuss the launch of Restore American Agriculture’s new website, where farmers can share their stories and the challenges they face today.
Restore American Agriculture is a bipartisan group of farmers and agricultural leaders who are advocating for systemic change to the ag industry. The group has sent two letters to Congress calling for long-term commodity market stability and bipartisan legislation, while calling out “the administration’s ill-conceived war in Iran” in its July 2026 letter.
This comes as Congress continues to struggle to advance a long-term farm bill, with both chambers on August recess. Additionally, only 11 lawmakers have scheduled town hall meetings during the August recess to meet with farmers and constituents, Axios reported.
This year, farmers received $12 billion in financial assistance to offset input price rises and market volatility. In June, Trump asked Congress for an additional $11 billion in support to help offset high fuel and input costs, driven largely by conflict in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
“We want to make sure that our senators and congressmen are listening to farmers and are looking at what the short term of giving ad-hoc payments to farmers is just us getting by. We need long-term visionaries in Congress to help us figure out what are the long-term opportunities for farmers out here like me,” said Pam Johnson, retired Iowa farmer and past president of the National Corn Growers Association.
Echoing this point, Jon Doggett, past CEO of the National Corn Growers Association, added, “The Congress hasn’t dealt with systemic changes in how we farm, systemic changes in how food is processed, systemic changes in who processes that food. These are all issues that need to be addressed. And when they’re not addressed, you’re going to get in the situation where people in agriculture are so desperate that they’re calling for money rather than the changes that we need.”
Trade uncertainty, lower research levels hold back the ag economy
Conditions for the average American farmer have largely not improved in 2026, amid supply chain complications and volatile market access, including uncertainty surrounding China’s purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural imports.
However, growers are optimistic about the long-term market outlook, with 56% of 400 farmers surveyed saying that they expect markets to expand in the next five years, according to the July edition of the Ag Economy Barometer from CME Group and Purdue University.
“Farmers want markets; they don’t want handouts. And what isn’t happening today is Congress stepping in to make sure that the single most important value-added market of a generation — the U.S. ethanol industry and biodiesel industry — is allowed to continue to grow,” Bob Dinneen, past president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association.
He added, “They’re not stepping up to make sure that the trade markets that farmers in the U.S. worked so hard to create aren’t just gone forever as a consequence of a chaotic and indefensible trade policy. So, ad-hoc assistance is necessary because of what’s happening in D.C. right now, but it’s not sustainable, and it’s not what farmers want. That’s why Congress really needs to step up and create markets for farmers.”
Also, U.S. agriculture is losing ground to other countries when it comes to agricultural research, which serves as a backbone for industry innovation, Dinneen explained. Public-private partnerships were responsible for projects like mapping the corn genome and the genomes of other crops, Johnson noted.
USDA budgeted $1.712 billion for research, education, and economics in 2027, a 9.05% decrease from the 2026 enacted budget. In comparison, China spends over $10 billion on ag research annually.
“The U.S. was once the preeminent leader in ag research. The U.S. has been surpassed by Brazil and China. They’ve cancelled research. They’ve let go of important staff, and so what USDA has been able to do is far less,” Dinneen elaborated.
He added, “What’s the next value-added opportunity? What’s the next molecule that’s going to allow farmers to continue to see value from their assets, and that kind of research has fallen way behind. ... Would more money help? Absolutely. But more focus, more appreciation for science and for the importance of value-added markets would be helpful as well.”
