With the Farm Bill under contention, the delay is making some farmers a bit uneasy about their future and the industry.

The Farm Bill is the primary agriculture and food policy of the federal government. Historically, the bill has been passed on a five-year basis. However, the bill is under much discussion and debate.

In fact, at this moment, there is no confirmation as to when an agreement will be reached, and for many, that is what’s most concerning.

Cotton producer Walt Hagood is concerned about how the midterm elections may impact this continued debate.

“There’s a new Congress setting in January 1. This whole thing could start over. Our biggest fear is, is that we’re gonna have continuation of the ’14 Farm Bill, and that’s not really an ideal situation, you know, because it’ll be one year at a time. They’ll just finally go to the 11th hour and push something through and so they’ll keep kicking the can down the road, and we don’t want that. We want to know the Farm Bill that we’re gonna have in place for the next five years,” said Hagood.

But, he understands that having a stable bill in place may not undo the damage that’s already been done. He said he hopes it helps unravel some of the many issues holding up Congress.

Texas 19th Congressional District Representative Jodey Arrington says many of the issues are irrelevant.

“The food supply and food infrastructure gives us agriculture independence, which is a national security issue. So, I think we’re getting off the mark and off focus from the core mission of a Farm Bill. But, we’ve got to find a way to, you know, find consensus and common ground and move this forward because our guys out in farm country are hurting, and we need to deliver and deliver soon,” Arrington said. 

Meanwhile, Hagood says time is of the essence. Because there is no firm safety net for farmers, their risks are greater than ever.

“We’ve been farming without a Farm Bill since ’14, and the way these farm bills work, if we get any help through the safety net at all, it comes the year later,” Hagood said. “So, if we have a problem, which a lot of us probably will this year because of all the weather and the price and everything else, you know, we’re not gonna see any relief until next year, from what we’re signing up for right now.”

He said the damage has already been done.

He shared what concerns him even more: the decline of future farmers and agriculture. He leads the charge for Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program.

“Foundation has to be laid for each generation,” Hagood said. “Just like these kids are here learning the alphabet so they can learn to read and write, you know, we’re here to lay the foundation of agriculture, because we believe that agriculture is the foundation of our society.”

The Farm Bill is for “all of us,” Hagood said.

“This is what I’ve always wanna be when I grow up, I wanna be a big rancher or maybe a sheep farmer,” student Jaxon said.