Montana farmers seek federal relief from failed trade policies

Montana Farmers Union is urging President Trump and Congressional leaders to provide economic relief for family farmers and ranchers facing worsening financial conditions.

Family farmers and ranchers face severe economic challenges and a deepening crisis if they do not receive immediate assistance, National Farmers Union president Rob Larew said.

Recently enacted trade policies and the resulting actions by other countries have wreaked havoc on our markets, driving commodity prices far below the cost of production,” NFU President Rob Larew. Input costs are projected to reach record levels in 2025, and "stress" levels are high among farmers, reflected in the rising number of farm bankruptcy filings across the country," Larew said.

Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer emphasized the need for Congress to get back to work and fund the federal government with a focus on providing aid for farmers and ranchers devastated by tariff impacts and on rebuilding markets.

“Congress needs to pass a modernized farm bill that supports the family farm and ranch and our nation’s food security,” Schweitzer said.

In his letter, Larew outlined three key principles to ensure aid provides meaningful and lasting relief: 

• Aid payments must be directed to family agricultural operations and balanced among regions and crops. 
• Aid must be paired with efforts to investigate monopolies in the agriculture industry and their resulting impacts on the farm economy. 
• Resources must be dedicated to developing new and enhanced domestic markets for American crops and enhancing existing markets, including local and regional markets. 

The number of farms in the United States has been declining for decades, with more than 140,000 farms lost between 2017 and 2022, according to the Montana Farmers Union.

That decline continues today as farmers face record-low commodity prices and shrinking international markets. For the first time in more than two decades, Chinese importers have not purchased American soybeans this year, cutting off U.S. producers from their largest export market and further straining rural economies, the farmers union said.

Read the letter to President Trump here. 

Read the letter to Congressional leadership here.