Government programs are only a “band-aid” when it comes to the farm economy, according to an economist

Other policy shifts are likely to impact ag exports. One economist warns products could start to build up and says government programs only go so far.

“Yes, government programs help, but that’s sort of a band-aid. And in the long term, there’s not a lot of risk management tools either. And so you think about crop insurance, it’s a year over year change, that it helps with working capital, can only last us so long. So these trade implosions is just an issue where we don’t have a lot of risk management. We don’t have a lot of policy programs to help fix that. And that’s why we’re thinking about that. I just, I think that the, the long tail on that could be really, really challenging,” said David Widmar.

Widmar also warns margins are likely to feel squeezed for some time. He tells aginfo.net more cuts will likely need to come before there is any kind of noticeable relief.

Related Stories
Sen. Roger Marshall discusses the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and what expanded milk options could mean for students and dairy farmers. Industry groups say it is a win for student nutrition and dairy producers.
Supplemental Disaster Relief Program Stage Two will disburse around $16 billion, approved by Congress last year. Sign-ups begin Monday, and producers have until April to return applications.
An outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) first appeared after livestock events in Texas and Arizona, and some horses have already died.
Early Cattle-on-Feed estimates point to slightly tighter cattle supplies, reinforcing the need to monitor prices and timing for winter marketing.
Row crop losses in 2025 are outpacing last year. With no disaster aid yet approved, many operations face a tough financial bridge to 2026 even as Farm Bill improvements remain a year away.