FEBRUARY 6, 2026 | VOLUME 29 | ISSUE 3
Farm Bureau Press ARFB PRESIDENT DAN WRIGHT WRITES LETTER TO USDA
A PEEK INSIDE
Arkansas Farm Bureau President Dan Wright sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins and Deputy Sec. Stephen Vading about the urgent needs of farmers in Arkansas. “We are grateful for your work in securing assistance through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. Your efforts provided meaningful relief for Arkansas farmers during a critical time. While the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program was an important first step, it is unfortunately not sufficient to stabilize farm operations or restore confidence heading into the 2026 growing season. Arkansas producers are currently meeting with lenders to determine whether they can move forward as the economic pressures facing our state’s agricultural and rural communities continue to intensify.
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Farm failures and bankruptcies are rising across agriculture-dependent regions, including Arkansas. Producers continue to face volatile markets, unpredictable weather, rising input costs, high interest rates, and increasing global competition—challenges that are especially acute for Arkansas row crops. Although recent Congressional and Administration action provided critical assistance, many Arkansas farmers remain financially vulnerable. Without additional, timely economic support, producers will be forced to make planting and financing decisions under extreme uncertainty, risking further farm closures and long-term harm to our rural economy. We were very disappointed to hear that the additional agriculture assistance package developed by Senators John Boozman and John Hoeven were not included in the 2026 fiscal year appropriation measure. This proposal represents a targeted response to the ongoing farm economy crisis and would provide some needed certainty for Arkansas producers.
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We respectfully urge this Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Scan the QR code and Congressional leadership to develop and implement additional, to access direct well-timed economic relief for American farmers, including those here in links referenced Arkansas, as soon as possible. Our producers—and the rural communities in each article. they sustain—are at a critical juncture. Without further targeted support, the economic damage to Arkansas agriculture could become lasting and irreparable.” A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION