The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today strongly urged opens in a new tabCongress to quickly pass bipartisan legislation to provide additional financial assistance to farmers and ranchers challenged by high production costs and continuing revenue losses.
“We appreciate the administration’s recently announced $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) package for row crops and specialty crops. However, this level of assistance is simply not sufficient given that production costs are substantially above farmers’ expected revenues,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “The amount of additional aid needed could be one to two times as much as the recent FBA package before many producers would approach break-even, depending on their circumstances.”
ICBA’s letter opens in a new tabnoted that farmers have been stricken by high production costs, difficult trade and export markets, significant weather-related problems, and falling commodity prices. “These types of problems are beyond the ability of producers to control through their own risk mitigation strategies. Community banks will continue to work with their borrowers, but many farmers may simply decide to exit agriculture altogether to preserve their operation’s equity unless additional assistance is provided on a timely basis,” Romero Rainey concluded.
ICBA also urged Congress to include an increase in USDA guaranteed farm loan limits to $3.5 million for farm real estate and $3 million for operating loans. ICBA said increasing loan limits would ensure more family farmers can qualify for commercial credit and allow USDA loan guarantees to keep pace with rising production costs.
“Additional assistance will ensure farmers have the creditworthiness they need to finance their next crop and give them confidence to continue their operations in the midst of these difficult circumstances,” wrote opens in a new tabICBA. Community banks provide approximately 80 percent of all loans extended by private-sector banks to the nation’s farmers and ranchers.