The North Dakota Farmers Union held its annual convention in Bismarck Dec. 9th and 10th.
"The theme -- farm income, primarily," said Farmers Union president Mark Watne.
Watne said it has been a challenging year for farmers. He said yields are up, but crop prices are down – and input costs haven’t come down as much as farmers would like to see.
"Crude oil prices are down, but we would like to see a litle more decline in input prices," Watne said. "To rely on excellent yields to cover your bills -- that's pretty speculative. I don't think any farm can sustain that."
Several farm state lawmakers have been talking about starting to craft a new farm bill. Watne said he welcomes the discussions, but he doesn't think it will happen in 2017. The current bill expires in 2018.
Watne said he has three priorities for a new farm bill.
"First, we really need to quit putting together the program and then making it fit within the budget," Watne said. "Right now, the protection levels are below the cost of production. Even though they're working to some degree, it's still not at a level to sustain a farm, if we continue with low commodity prices."
Watne said he also wants to see a strengthened crop insurance program. And he wants to see a change in how agriculture is perceived.
"Farmers are providing one of the most important things to the United States, which, along with air and water, food's next," Watne said. "Farmers need to be compensated for that.
"When we have regulations put on us, we need to be paid for that," Watne said. "WE have no mechanism to pass those costs on."
Watne called it a "paradigm shift."
"We should acknowledge everything family farms do to provide food for the country," Watne said.
