WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump could and should intercede with a number of executive measures to assist farmers facing low commodity prices, trade barriers and increasing input prices due to the U.S.-Israel War on Iran, according to U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-11th District) from Cleveland, Ohio.

Speaking during the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit on March 22, Brown – vice-ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee – laid out a number of solutions the president could adopt to help struggling farmers, many of whom cannot afford to purchase fall fertilizers due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz adding to already-high prices.

Beginning by acknowledging that farming is the “backbone of the American economy, national security and community” but currently under “significant and growing strain,” Brown proceeded to lay out what she called a “practical, bipartisan path forward” to restoring financial security within the agriculture sector.

“We are seeing a generational decline in net farm income driven by a combination of elevated input costs and falling prices,” said Brown, who has served the 11th District since 2021. “Producers are being squeezed from both sides with higher costs to plant and produce.”

Policy choices, such as tariffs, have further increased instability for producers who depend on export markets, and delays on decisions such as year-round E-15 sales (it was announced on March 25 that summer sales of E-15 would be allowed in 2026), Brown said. In addition, changes to the farm bill’s safety net program have hurt families and family farms, while on the global stage armed conflict has had an undeniable impact on global farm input costs, she added.

“If we don’t accurately diagnose where these pressures are coming from, we won’t design solutions that will actually work,” Brown said. “When I sit down with farmers, I hear the same thing over and over: they are not asking for handouts. They are asking for a fair shot and some level of stability for the ability to earn their keep. Ranchers and farmers want certainty (and) predictability.”

Immediate and commonsense steps include advancing near-term solutions such as the Farm and Family Relief Act (FFRA; HR 7206), Brown told the summit attendees and guests, which included Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) and ranking member Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The FFRA, introduced this year by House Ag Committee ranking member Amy Craig (D-Minn.), is a $28 billion legislative package that provides $17 billion in economic aid to farmers facing high costs and trade losses, while delaying cuts to the SNAP food assistance program. The FFRA serves as a countermeasure to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration while acting as a counterpart to Trump’s Farmer Bridge Assistance program.

“Getting year-round E-15 across the finish line is the baseline. This is long overdue (and) supports corn growers, expands domestic fuel supply and provides consumers with more affordable options right when they need it most,” Brown said, earning applause from many in attendance.

“Second, we need to reduce trade frictions starting with tariffs. We should be looking seriously at removing tariffs that are hurting our producers and rebuilding relationships with key trading partners. That includes being honest about the damage already done and taking steps to restore confidence in U.S. agriculture,” she continued. “It includes renewing and strengthening the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada) as we approach the joint review period.”

Third, the U.S. should be prepared to act on fertilizer and input prices “with urgency,” the Ohio Democrat suggested. “The president should use executive authority to temporarily suspend duties on fertilizer imports. This targeted intervention would help stabilize supply during a period of global disruption,” Brown said. (Trade duties on Moroccan phosphate have spiked DAP fertilizer prices by nearly 29 percent, according to recent research conducted by the Agricultural & Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University).

“We should also be prioritizing logistics by ensuring port capacity and transportation are not bottlenecked at the worst possible times. And, of course, we need to ensure that USDA’s FSA, NRCS and rural development offices are fully staffed, well resourced and that program delivery is timely so that producers, especially family farmers, can actually access the tools that Congress authorized,” Brown continued, adding that a renewed commitment to farmer outreach by the administration would be necessary for her suggestions to succeed.

Switching gears to the House farm bill, Brown said she objected to several tenets of the final House Ag Committee version sent to the floor on March 5. “I had concerns with a number of provisions in the committee markup including the failure to restore lost export markets, addressing rising input costs in addition to slashing over $1 billion in conservation that farmers rely on,” she said, adding that she was also disappointed an amendment she offered that would delay for four years the planned SNAP cuts to states was rejected within the committee.

“I didn’t come to the House Ag Committee just for nutrition (issues),” explained Brown, who represents a primarily urban Ohio constituency. “I came because this is one of the few committees that touches every American every day, from the farm gate to the table. And I’ll be honest; I was drawn to it by its reputation for bipartisanship and getting things done. And I’ve seen flashes of that.”