Farmfest Forums Offer A Variety Of Opinions

Every year many key agriculture issues are discussed as part of the feature forums that are held at Farmfest in early August. The forums included several national and state agricultural leaders discussing many of the key issues affecting farm families and rural communities in Minnesota and the Midwest. These issues included low profit margins in crop production, the need for a dependable economic “safety net” for crop and livestock producers, tariffs and ag trade, and future opportunities for biofuels. Following are some of the main issues that were discussed during the Farmfest forums in 2025: 
One Big Beautiful Bill
Early this Summer, Congress passed a large Reconciliation Bill, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which increased reference prices for corn, soybeans, wheat, and other crops. The Bill also enhanced certain aspects of the PLC and ARC-CO farm program choices, added support for crop insurance premiums, and included higher loan rates for crops that receive FSA Marketing Assistance Loans. The Reconciliation Bill also reinstated many tax provisions that are favorable to farm families and continued some of the depreciation deductions that farmers have benefitted from in recent years. 
The panelists on the forums and some of the other speakers at Farmfest pointed out that the inability of Congress to pass a new Farm Bill created the need to include Title I and crop insurance provisions in the Reconciliation Bill. The last 5-year Farm bill was passed in 2018 and expired at the end of 2023. Congress passed one-year extensions of the current Farm Bill for both the 2024 and 2025 crop years to continue the current Title I commodity programs. Most of the crop statutory reference prices in the current Farm Bill have not changed since the 2014 Farm Bill. The reference prices set the base safety-net for producers of corn soybeans, wheat, and other crops that are enrolled in USDA farm programs. Some Farmfest panel members pointed out that the improved risk protection for farmers was only for farm program crops such as corn, soybeans and wheat, and did not provide any “safety-net enhancements for livestock producers or for farm operators that raise specialty crops. 
While most members of the Minnesota Congressional delegation that attended Farmfest saw some benefits from the improved “safety net” and risk management tools for crop producers, there was some disagreement on other aspects of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The biggest disagreement surrounded cuts to USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is also part of the Farm Bill as Title IV. The Democratic members of Congress pointed out that due to the shortfalls in SNAP funding, some states may need to make the financial difference. The fear is that the added funds needed for the SNAP program by states such as Minnesota may be passed on to counties, which could possibly result in higher property taxes on owned farm land. Members of the Minnesota Republican Congressional pointed out that much of the cutbacks to the SNAP program will come from reducing fraud and overpayments in the SNAP program, and by making sure that all SNAP recipients are legally eligible. 
It is not known what impact the passage of this legislation will have on the development of a new Farm Bill later this year or early next year. There has been very limited discussion of completing a new Farm Bill during the current session of Congress. Besides the Title I and Nutrition Title of the Farm Bill, there are many other Farm Bill Titles and programs that were not addressed by the One Big Beautiful Bill. These include conservation programs, rural development initiatives, USDA direct and guaranteed loan programs to farmers and small businesses, and many more. Some of the Congressional members that participated at Farmfest were optimistic that a Farm Bill might be completed in the coming months; however, if there is not significant activity by Congress on a new Farm Bill in the weeks after Labor Day, we will likely see another on-year extension of the current Farm Bill. 
Poor Farm
Profit Margins
The continued negative or slim margins in crop and hog production, along with the low profitability in farming were a big topic of discussion during the Farmfest forums in 2025. 
Profit margins in crop production have been quite tight in the past two to three years, which is putting some farm operations at the brink of financial disaster. Crop production expenses and land rental rates increased substantially in 2023 and have remained high in 2024 and 2025. At the same time, crop prices for corn, soybeans and wheat have remained below breakeven levels, and are now at the lowest levels in several years. 
There have been reports of increased farm bankruptcies across the U.S., as well as an increase in farm loan mediation notices in Minnesota in recent months. The short-term crop economic assistance program earlier this year and the current Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, covering crop losses from the 2023 and 2024 crop years, have provided some short-term economic help for crop producers. Most of the farm program and crop insurance enhancements in the One Big Beautiful Bill will not provide any financial assistance to farmers until 2026, so some ag leaders are pointing out that another round of short-term financial assistance might be needed following the 2025 crop year. 
Tariffs and Trade Agreements
The importance of ag exports and potential new trade agreements, as well as the potential impacts of tariffs on farm businesses and the U.S. ag economy, were discussed extensively during the Farmfest forums. There was some positivity surrounding new trade agreements with Japan, Indonesia, and other countries. However, concern was expressed regarding potential trade disputes with China, as well as tensions between the U.S. and other countries in the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement. Canada, Mexico, and China are the three largest trading partners for U.S. ag exports. Currently China has no 2025 U.S. soybeans booked to be imported in the coming months. In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has proposed much higher tariffs on imports from these countries and many other countries around the World. Not only is there concern regarding the impact that retaliatory tariffs by other counties on U.S. products could have on U.S ag exports, farmers are also worried about increased farm input costs due to the added tariffs on goods entering the U.S. 
Development of
SAF Aviation Fuel
Many agriculture and leaders in the renewable fuel industry have pointed to “sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF) as a key growth opportunity for both the ethanol and renewable diesel industries in the future. However, federal agencies have set up very stringent farm-level practices that farmers must follow in order to be eligible to sell their corn and soybeans to processing plants for SAF production. Due to the restrictions being placed on U.S. farmers, some feedstock for SAF production is being imported from other countries. Many farm operators, ag and community leaders, and investors in renewable energy plants, are concerned about government policies related to the development and use of ethanol and other biofuels. Many states in the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota, have a very strong and well-established corn-based ethanol industry, which utilizes over 35 percent of the corn produced each year in the United States. In addition to the direct benefits to farmers, renewable energy plants have become cornerstones in rural communities by providing jobs, adding to the local tax base, and enhancing the overall economic vitality of the communities. 
The members of the Minnesota Congressional delegation and the ag leaders that participated in the Farmfest forums in 2025 discussed numerous issues, programs and efforts that affect rural businesses, families, and communities in a variety of ways. In addition to the issues highlighted earlier, other topics discussed during the Farmfest forums included the importance of workforce development through the 2-year and 4-year ag programs at Minnesota colleges and universities, dealing with the economic challenges currently being experienced by rural businesses, family health care access and costs, expansion of broadband coverage in portions of greater Minnesota, infrastructure needs, and other issues affecting agriculture and rural communities. The 2025 candidate forums and the other Farmfest forums can be viewed at: https://www.ideaggroup.com/farmfest. 
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst, Green Solutions Group Phone – (507) 381-7960; E-mail – [email protected]