Last year, mine was one of many farming operations to close in the state of Arkansas. I made the heartbreaking decision to close to protect my parents' retirement and my family's legacy: the little land that we did own. As a smaller farm, we were more nimble, and the exit, while painful, was relatively easy. So many of my fellow farmers suffered more than we did.

It's easy for outsiders to discuss this in terms of declining commodity prices, rising input costs, and shrinking financial reserves. That sanitizes into Wall Street terms what is a Main Street and kitchen table crisis. Arkansas now leads the nation, not just in farm bankruptcies, but also in farmer suicides.

Agriculture remains Arkansas' largest industry and one of the primary economic engines for the state. The success of the entire state is tied to the success of farm communities.

The last actual Farm Bill expired in 2023. Since then it's been a patchwork of temporary extensions. Then Aug. 6, the Senate Ag committee pitted hungry kids and farmers against one another, failing to advance the latest meager offering of crop insurance, conservation funding, and safety-net programs to keep a few farms solvent.

In the richest country in the world, Americans watched our lawmakers fight over........

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