Farm Bill meetings planned across Iowa

In order to help Iowans understand their options under the 2018 Farm Bill, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is planning meetings across the state.

More than 50 informational meetings will be held, beginning November 12 in Grinnell, with a focus on explaining the different farm bill titles and programs that pertain to each part of the state. The meeting series stretches through the winter for landowners and producers to attend now, or following harvest, at a location that is convenient for them.

The agenda is similar at all meetings, and will include ISU Extension and Outreach farm management specialists and family life specialists, and local Farm Service Agency representatives.

“Producers should attend to gain a better understanding of the changes to these programs and determine the path that best fits their farm operation under the 2018 Farm Bill,” said Ann Johanns, program specialist in economics with ISU Extension and Outreach. “This is a chance to hear the program specifics and get answers to any questions they may have from regional experts.”

The 2018 Farm Bill allows producers to choose from the same crop price protection programs as found in the 2014 Farm Bill. However, unlike the previous bill, which limited their program selection for all five years, the new farm bill allows producers to make a two-year decision by March 15, 2020, and also to change this selection beginning in 2021.

The basic choices are Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage (at the individual and county levels). A producer’s choice will depend on their annual national cash price expectation, and the farm or county yields where the farm is located.

“Our goal is to give an overview of the things that are included in the 2018 Farm Bill and which of the three roads a producer might wish to go down,” said Kelvin Leibold, farm management specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

According to Leibold and Johanns, farmers in general are entering this farm bill with more financial stress and less operating capital than in 2014, when commodity prices were still high.

The financial stress has the potential to impact the future of the farm, and the health of the operator.

The extension family life specialist at each meeting will present “Stress on the Farm: Strategies to Help Each Other,” a 40-minute scenario-based suicide prevention training that reviews the risk factors and warning signs of suicide.

While the farm bill is only one layer of risk protection, its programs are especially important this year.

“I think it’s more important now than ever that one tries to manage risk by understanding what these farm programs might do for them,” Leibold said.

A complete listing of farm bill meetings is available on the Ag Decision Maker Farm Bill website at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/info/meetings.html, as well as the ISU Extension and Outreach statewide calendar at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/.