800 326 9054American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, kicking off the annual convention of the nation’s largest farm group Sunday, pushed Congress to provide more farm aid, citing a specific need in the specialty crop sector, and to authorize year-round E15 to drive domestic crop demand.
Duvall said the $12 billion farm aid package announced in December to compensate for market and commodity market losses is needed, “but the losses are much deeper than that.”
The Farmer Bridge Assistance package includes $11 billion for row crop producers to be distributed by February. An additional $1 billion is available to specialty growers to make their case to the Agriculture Department for a share of the assistance.
“We also know that $1 billion for specialty crops isn’t enough,” Duvall said. “We will continue to work with Congress to bring the relief you need.”
Farm-state lawmakers were discussing the need for additional aid before leaving the December White House announcement, but now a month later remain unclear about the amount and funding mechanism that should be utilized. House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., told Agri-Pulse he was eyeing at least another $10 billion with support for sectors such as dairy, timber and specialty crops.
Duvall said he raised the passage of year-round E15 with the White House as one long-term action the administration can take “to help your families survive this season and grow in the next,” he explained to members of the nation’s largest general farm organization.
Year-round E15 “would expand the market for farmers and deliver real cost savings to consumers at the pump,” he said. “A clear win-win.”
Duvall praised the agriculture funding included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July 2025, but reinforced that a new, five-year farm bill is still needed.
“We will keep holding Congress accountable to deliver that [the farm bill] and other critical support for agriculture,” he said. “With the toughest economy we’ve seen in a generation, we know our leaders need to hear from us about what relief is needed in the short- and long-term.”
All Farm Bureau leadership, including state presidents and national committee chairs, visited the White House to engage with cabinet members in July to discuss the Make America Healthy Again movement, among other topics. It was the first time the group had such a meeting, Duvall said.
“Because of our approach, we saw a real shift between the first MAHA Commission report and the second. That didn’t just happen, it took strategic engagement,” Duvall said, praising the role of the promotion and engagement committee to connect with consumers from New York City to advocacy in the White House.
Additionally, Duvall said the nation’s largest farmer organization continues calling for new trade agreements and purchasing U.S.-grown food for the military and school children. He praised the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act that passed Congress and is waiting for President Donald Trump’s signature.
AFBF opposes the use of tariffs to expand market access for U.S. agricultural products, an issue Duvall has expressed to Trump in the Oval Office.
Duvall also said agriculture had a “big win” with the recent “waters of the U.S.” rule that protects critical water sources while respecting farmers’ conservation efforts.
He cited ag labor as the No. 1 problem facing farms, but praised recent changes to the H-2A wage rate.
“This brought much-needed relief to many farmers who were facing skyrocketing wage mandates,” Duvall said. “We don’t take these steps for granted.”
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*Sourced from Agri-Pulse.