ARGA News
This is an Open RICE Letter
by Kenneth Graves, Chairman
Arkansas Rice Growers Association
Published September 14, 2026
We are still hearing the problems causing the farm economy woes of the rice farmers in our state. The War with Iran, ( high fuel and fertilizer prices ), low commodity prices, section 31 investigation where some countries are subsidizing their farmers more than allowed under the WTO ( world trade organization ), some stories where blackbirds ate the seed rice after it was planted ( a few farmers had to replant 400-500 acres because of that ), local mill drying facilities being closed for the 2026 rice harvest because of a loss of rice acres. We will now dive into the other problem that doesn’t get talked about as much.
The first figures that I heard concerning a rice carryover in February was 9-10 million bushels. That figure is called being in the pipeline where that is the last of the previous years crop that is headed to the grocery store shelves. Since then, I have been told that there was 32 million bushels carryover, and lately I read that there could be 50 million bushels carryover. Why so much? The rice is not meeting quality standards that our customers want and expect. If memory serves me right, I will share info heard by me or told to me of some rice issues or comments.
I will do a timeline of these issues to prove a point. Around 20 years ago, someone made a comment that “Rice is a bulk commodity, quality is not important”. An article written in 2011-2012, U.S. Long Grain Rice Industry: At a crucial crossroads by Karen Ott Mayer. Here is where you can read it, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/69613493d52529299f3c9ee0/t/.6964069f68d4ec78037c1b83/1768162975651/us-long-grain-rice-industry-crucial-cropssroadds.pdf. This article tells of quality issues that need to be addressed, IP needs, same problems we face today, 15 years later, a very interesting read. In 2019, someone was moving rice from the 2015 crop, probably bad quality. Someone still has some bad quality 2018 rice crop to get rid of. I will insert a figure that I last heard was that rice planted at the time was 85% hybrid and 15% conventional. I do not know if that holds true today for planting. Someone had 500 trailer loads (around 577,500 bushels) of Hybrid brokens in a storage facility, that rice needed to be moved for storage purposes, so it was all hauled out to another facility 120 miles away. Then a short time later, it was hauled back to Greenville, loaded on barges, shipped to New Orleans, rejected, shipped back to Greenville, and was to run back through a mill again. That rice was cloddy and probably had sweated in storage at some point. Another movement of rice, which included 30 barges (1 barge holds 45-50,000 rough rice bushels, or 60 loads of milled rice per barge) at Greenville, started with high hopes, ended after a few barges were loaded, because it couldn’t make the grade. I talked to someone that grades rice, and he said the export buyers have had it with the low milling and chalky rice. I talked to a rice official in Central America and he gave me a website to go to and read about the reasons we are losing rice markets down there. Look for yourself, FAS – Global Agricultural Trade System ( GATS ). Up to now, everyone wants to say they are part of the “rice industry”, lets see who takes credit for all this. 15 years ago, someone writes an article that rice is at a crossroad, no improvement but increased yields and low milling quality where we can’t sell our rice. I even heard that pet food companies want a higher quality of rice for their product. If we can’t sell to pet food companies, I hope this is not the beginning of the end for rice in Arkansas. Throughout the years, and especially maybe the last 3-5 years, how many farmers have lost money from raising low quality rice, and how many more are on the horizon. That has been delayed for a year. Again, in Arkansas in 2011, there were 2,752 rice farmers, 2022 there were 1607. I’m scared to see the numbers when they come out in 2027, released every 5 years.
So how do we fix this. I don’t know if there is enough time to catch up. The problem with low milling quality has fell on deaf ears. We keep promoting high yielding rice with mediocre milling results. Back in the day with conventional rice, to get a good price for your rice, it needed to mill at least a 58-68 or 58-70. A lot of times your first number would be in the 60’s. I haven’t heard of those numbers in a long time. Now I hear upper 40’s or low 50’s. That is not what our customers want. That’s why they are going elsewhere to buy their rice. We use to be the go to guys for rice. They knew we had good quality rice. The market to China is open. Once again, China could eat the entire U.S. rice crop in 11-14 days. That is a demanding market. An Arkansas Rice Growers Association (ARGA) member asked a rice official from China how much good quality rice do you want. His reply was, “all you can send us”. Right now, we have two chances of selling rice to China on a large scale, they are SLIM and NONE. Because of the same quality in low milling yields that the US is losing its market in Central America to rice from countries in South America such as Brazil and Uruguay. If we had good quality rice to sell to China, we would not be having this conversation. The possible price the farmers could get from selling rice to China would cover the problems of today. We need single variety storage and IP (Identity preserved). The Chinese can tell if rice is comingled (mixed varieties). The Chinese people consume a lot of rice. I will say two things now about conventional rice. High hot days at the wrong time or high night time temperatures can affect the milling quality of conventional rice also. It is not exempt from that issue. But good quality rice is more consistent with conventional rice, and it does not yield like the Hybrid rice. But we could at least get rid of it. But with the Hybrid rice at this time, they need the bushels to get volume to help pay the bills, even as bad as the price is, and the chemicals they can spray on Hybrids help with some weed control in certain spots. And for those that don’t know, there are chemicals for conventional rice, and chemicals for Hybrid.
The newest threat that has been brought up is imported rice. Now it is 30% of our domestic market, with it going to 50% by 2033. It is not like it has not happened before. There have been two instances where the Rice Industry has imported rice before, Thai and Vietnam rice, somewhere around 15-20 years ago. And concerning the Vietnam rice, the powers that be were OK with that. If memory serves me right, I think that it was a private company that imported the rice and the rice industry didn’t have any say so over that. That importing of the Vietnam rice was brought up by the U S Rice Producers Association, the national organization run by farmers representing farmers. At the time, Vietnam rice was being raised and treated with chemicals we had outlawed before then and irrigated with water from canals that had raw sewage dumping in them. The organization that was charged with protecting the interests of the farmer/producer chose to sit idle on the sidelines, while farmers were mad at the idea why didn’t they buy local rice. From the 2011 bad milling article, we still have the same problem as back then. 15 years and no change. I understand that the last 3 years the quality issue has been discussed once, with no action taken in a meeting that happens a few times a year.
Rice Farmers, you have to do it yourself. Almost everyone knows someone to complain to about changing the way things are being done. Tell them you want a change of direction. Maybe focus on less bushels and better milling and quality. We can’t kick this can down the road any longer. Quality is the issue at hand.
To end this article with another comment from someone in the rice industry, they stated, “We don’t have enough good rice to blend with the bad rice”.
Kenneth Graves
Chairman, Arkansas Rice Growers Association
krgfarms@gmail.com
870-509-1050
Money Pit Deepens as Consolidation Soars, Warns Arkansas Farmer
“We’re on a one-way street,” says Kenneth Graves. “I don’t want to just go along and pretend.”
by Chris Bennett, Farm Journal AgWeb
Updated March 03, 2026
Posted with author permission.
The bare-bones numbers tell a startling tale. The steady exodus of farmers from U.S. agriculture.
“Stay in or get out while there is something left?” asks producer Kenneth Graves. “It’s now a money pit, and it shouldn’t be that way.”
“There are plenty of guys that barely survived this year, but things could be even worse this same time next year. That’s plain talk. I don’t want guys trapped in a repeat scenario, but we’re on a one-way street. I don’t want to just go along and pretend.”
Let no scab form, he insists. “Don’t put your head in the sand. Look at what’s happening and deal with it.”
The past decade of ag statistics and present rut, Graves contends, indicate a tough row to hoe: Age, acres, expenses, commodities, carryover, bankruptcies, and much more. “I’d love to be wrong, but I don’t see crop prices going up or inputs going down. Better have a plan and a sense of urgency.”
Crazy High
Chairman of the Arkansas Rice Growers Association, Graves, 71, says rice is a barometer for the overall row crop industry.
“Back in August of 2025, we started hearing serious talk from bankers that maybe 30 to 40 percent of their farmers might not be in agriculture in 2026. Just the possibility is incredible and tells you how serious things are. I started looking at the ag census and the rice statistics, just from the past 15 years, and they are flat-out scary.”
“You don’t have to be an economist to see we are motoring toward almost unimaginable levels of consolidation. Since 2012, total acreage hasn’t dropped drastically, but the number of guys selling out or walking away from farming is crazy high.”
In 2012, across the U.S., 5,591 rice farms (mainly in Arkansas, California, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Mississippi) operated on 2,693,759 acres. By 2022, the numbers downshifted to 3,824 rice farms and 2,279,958 total acres. “That’s a major change in the amount of individual farms, but the acreage is very similar.”
Specifically, by state from 2012 to 2022, Arkansas dropped from 2,345 rice farms and 1,285,381 acres to 1,607 and 1,125,866. California: 1,392 rice farms and 561,968 acres to 724 and 738,068. Louisiana: 822 rice farms and 395,063 acres to 736 and 435,266. Missouri: 386 rice farms and 174,559 acres to 248 and 152,285. Texas: 364 rice farms and 134,189 acres to 289 and 193,438. Mississippi: 259 rice farms and 129,405 acres to 188 and 88,106.
“Consolidation on rice farms is where we’re at with all row crops. Ask yourself where it stops and what that means for national food security. And those are questions we better all be asking.”
Riding shotgun with consolidation issues, Graves points to demographics: farmer age. The average age of a U.S. grower is 58, and 40% of growers are over 65 years old.
“Do the math. A bunch of older guys naturally are fixing to get out. Where are those acres going? With the way things stand, that’s a pretty uncomfortable question.”
Nobody Left
Bitter irony: The highest yields in world history don’t equate to gain.
“I hope a market comes in and a big buyer starts grabbing everything up a storm. Hope and reality are two different things,” Graves emphasizes. “Right now, with these inputs and commodity prices, even a record crop can come short on profit.”
He points to a hanging question: What to do?
First, he recommends an acreage cut for rice growers. (Early estimates suggest a major rice reduction in Arkansas acreage and nationwide acreage.)
“I admit this is a self-help quick fix, but it’d be a start to the supply and demand issue. There are guys on zero grade that can’t switch to another crop, but if you can, to me it’s a must to try and right the ship.”
“In 2025, there were 1.25 million acres planted in Arkansas and the crop was a little under the state record yield. Meanwhile, we still had 9-10 million bushels carryover from the 2024 crop. So, the price is not going to be very good this year again. I believe we need to take out significant rice acres and replace those with whatever loses the least amount of money on that particular piece of ground.”
Second, Graves insists on new blood in the rows. “I don’t claim to have the answers, but I know that as an industry, we’ve got to work harder than ever to make this an issue that wakes up politicians. It’s got to be made easier for guys to get in—and I’m talking about young guys without deep pockets or family connections.”
The raw numbers paint an accurate picture, he says. “I’m not a dinosaur, because these are legitimate concerns for farmers today and the next generation. No, I don’t have instant solutions, but I’m saying what people are thinking.”
“We have a national ag census every five years,” Graves adds. “The next one is due in 2027. Who genuinely believes those numbers won’t be ugly? How much more consolidation until there’s basically nobody left?”
Ag Dept letter denying us the right to speak at a meeting where they award our rice checkoff money
Friday, January 26, 2024
Mr. Howington, thank you for your request to be on the agenda for the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board meeting on Feb. 1, 2024. The agenda has been finalized and the board will not be taking public comments at this meeting. Chairman Whitaker is planning to schedule a time for public comments at a meeting later this year, and we will keep you informed of that date and time.
In response to your question below regarding Karen Moldenhauer, she retired several years ago. You may want to contact Alton Johnson, the current director of the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart. The phone number is 870-673-0109.
Questions for USA Rice should be directed to Peter Bachman, President and CEO, or Michael Klein, Vice President for Communications and Domestic Production, at 703-236-2300.
Chairman Whitaker will be speaking at the Conservation Systems Conference 2024 in Jonesboro on January 30-31, 2024, and at the Arkansas Rice annual meeting on February 1, 2024 on several topics, including check-off programs and accountability. He is also willing to meet with you at a mutually convenient time. Please let me know if you would like to schedule a meeting.
CYNTHIA EDWARDS
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
Arkansas Department of Agriculture
1 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205
(501) 219-6362 | agriculture.arkansas.gov
cynthia.edwards@agriculture.arkansas.gov
2025 Economy
by Kenneth Graves, Chairman
Arkansas Rice Growers Association
Published September 8, 2025
A lot of people that keep up with the news and economy know about the situation that the farmers are in at this time. And the reason for that is the drop in market prices in the crops that they grow. In a nutshell, that is the main facts that I have seen concerning this problem. So, let’s bust that nutshell open and pour out the facts and tell people what could happen complete with some numbers and the domino effect it will have.
On August 16th, I was contacted by Mike Merritt in DeWitt, Arkansas, a crop consultant who owns FARM INC., made me aware of some very disturbing news. With the bad outlook for farmers and the markets for prices for their crops, he told me that a couple of banks in different parts of the state, had told one of their customers, that it looked like 30%-40% of their farmer customers will not be able to farm next year unless something out of the ordinary happened in favor of the farmers. So, that information came from two different banks, one located in the north and one in the south of the state. After talking to another banker face to face, he confirmed that number is very real. But maybe a more realistic number could be 25%-33%, which is 1/4th to 1/3rd of our farmers. Now I am only talking about rice, soybeans, and corn farmers. I can't speak for other farmers with different crops, but they use some of the same inputs also. With those numbers out there confirmed by a few banks, lets kick the can down the road some more. I am not saying that number is the same at all ag related banks. Some could be lower, and some could be higher. But when the numbers are the same at the banks that have been contacted, this is getting scary. IF, that percentage of farmers "get out of farming," across the eastern part of Arkansas, here is where the dominos start falling.
In the past, when a farmer decides to retire from farming, there is always someone who is looking to pick up extra ground. That may not be the case next year. With another uncertain year ahead, that farm could possibly not be rented or leased out, not knowing for sure what lies ahead. And adding insult to injury, when that farmer has his farm auction to sell his equipment, it probably will not bring what the equipment is really worth, at least to the owner. With that in mind, IF that happens to all of the farmers who "get out" after this year, what happens to the small farming towns and communities that depend on those farmer monies to support their businesses so they can make a living. Like chemical, fertilizer, fuel, equipment dealers, hardware stores, but also the other businesses that a lot of rural towns have. The farmer problem goes much deeper, that no one is talking about. How long can they last until they have to close and move on to whatever. Some communities don't have much to start with as far as businesses, what about them? Some farmers wanted to get out of farming last year but were afraid they wouldn't get much for their equipment, so they stayed in for another year. There is one thing about a farmer, they are one of the most optimistic people on the planet, always thinking that hopefully it will be better next year. But optimism only goes so far.
I know with the passage of the "BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL", there is some emergency money for farmers next year, NEXT YEAR. Farmers need something this year, and now. At this time, I am sure any non-farming person is probably saying, well they want another handout. Know this, The Farm Bill is not a stand-alone bill, it is part of the Nutrition Bill. Unless it has changed, the Farm Bill is only 2%-3% of that bill, money wise. A farmer is not like other businesses, we can't set our price for our customers when they get ready to sell. We can't pass on the price increases to the consumers, we have to absorb it. It is like we have to ask, “what will you give me for it”. And by that, we have to take what the market says it is worth. To give you a good example, John F. Kennedy once said, "a farmer buys retail, sells wholesale, and pays the freight both ways". Farming is a crap shoot. You gotta love it to do it. But times like these, not much fun in it right now.
In a conversation with some ag lenders, one asked another what his thoughts were as to what the farmers needed bushel wise to make it this year. The three numbers he gave him were 100-300-300, Soybeans-Rice-cCorn. Ball park averages on those three are around 56-166-175. Those are close I believe, but not close to what is needed. I hate to be Johnny Raincloud with this information, but I'm saying what no one is saying. I sure hope I'm wrong. I farmed for 49 years and had both good and bad years. I remember in the late 70's or early 80's with the deficiency payments. We were offered $1.35-$1.70 cents a bushel for our rice, and the deficiency payments were enough to get you to $3.25-$3.50 a bushel. Times and costs were different then from now.
I know up in the Northeast part of the state, a lot of rice farmers were hit with a lot of bad weather like rain. Too much rain. So bad that a lot of flooding took place, and the water didn’t drain off in time to plant. I am told there are a lot of unplanted fields in that area, due to the flooding. If there is an exodus of farmers next year, low prices for crops, it might get worse, and not just for farmers.
So, at this time, for any farmers that have never called their elected officials, state or U.S. about anything that bothers you, now would be a good time to stand up for yourself and get involved. This involves you, don’t count on someone to do it for you. A lot of calls make a difference. And call more than once. Blow the phones up with calls. It is now or never for some, at least try. This letter will be shared with media and politicians to try to help this situation that might occur, to make them aware about an unspoken possible problem.
Kenneth Graves, Chairman
Arkansas Rice Growers Association
arkricegrowers.com
870-509-1050
Outraged Farmers Blame Ag Monopolies as Catastrophic Collapse Looms
by Chris Bennett, Farm Journal AgWeb
Updated September 09, 2025 12:00 PM
Posted with author permission.
Farmers are not crying wolf. The wolf is real and right outside the door in the form of generational collapse.
The inescapable crop math of sustained crippling commodity prices and high input costs has many growers screaming for immediate relief, potentially via aid payments in late 2025 or early 2026. However, bailouts are Band-Aids over bullet holes.
Alarm has turned to extreme despair on many operations. On Sept. 2, 2025, a telltale farm meeting went nuclear. Field representatives from the offices of Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. John Boozman and Rep. Rick Crawford, along with a rep sent by Gov. Sarah Sanders, initially intended to speak with a handful of growers in Brookland, Ark.
Instead, 400-plus farmers packed the house to overflow on a Tuesday — despite the pressing demands of rice and corn harvest and a mere three days’ notice — and unleashed a chain of grievances.
Where does blame lie? Where to begin digging for a long-term solution?
Amid the fallout of the Sept. 2 meeting, three farmers sound off on markets, monopolies, moratoriums and mismanagement in U.S. agriculture. They spare no sacred cows.
Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, says Adam Chappell. “Year after year of sweeping all this s*** under the rug and pretending it’s not happening has got us to this point. Years of barely squeaking by, surviving with a bailout and then doing it all again. That is the definition of insanity.”
Growing 2,400 acres of soybeans, rice, and corn in east Arkansas’ Woodruff County, Chappell, 46, accuses USDA of head-in-the-sand policy: “I’m sick of USDA graphs saying agriculture income is set to rise. They’re baking cattle and coming payments into their recipe and pretending things are good. Bulls***.”
“This is the worst agriculture economy of my lifetime over at least the past three years, and right this minute, guys are going under — as in bankruptcy or leaving the farm,” he exclaims. “The solution is supposedly another bailout or a gap payment the following year? Wake the hell up: Where do you think that money is gonna go? It won’t go to farmers. It’ll go into supplier’s pockets.”
The entire agriculture industry — a bedrock of U.S. security — rests squarely on the shoulders of the American farmer. Ironically, that same farmer is the only player in the ag chain who cannot pass costs down the ladder.
Blame partially belongs on “Big Ag,” Chappell contends.
“Seed, chemicals or fertilizer, it’s all in the hands of a few companies that are the only game in town. You want to fix farming? Start a federal investigation on those big companies. Booming quarterly earnings and big stock dividends make no sense when farmers can’t pinch a penny.”
Farmers gathering at the benchmark Sept. 2 farm meeting in Brookland.
“If corn prices were to suddenly jump this month, nitrogen prices will magically rise the following year,” he continues. “If soybean prices explode to $15 tomorrow, a bag of beans will climb to $90. Guaranteed. Potash will hit $1,000. The monopoly problem is real.”
Behind closed doors, away from microphones and cameras, Chappell says federal politicians acknowledge “monopoly influence.”
“They all tell me they’re aware of a monopoly problem, and they don’t deny it exists. But they do nothing. Instead, we get bailouts and the money slips right out of our hands and into the big corporations we owe the money to — the monopolies. Meanwhile, those same corporations lobby for us to get the bailouts. Get it?”
“This is real talk,” Chappell describes. “This is what farmers know and experience. You can bet your ass, the monopolies will get their money. If you think otherwise, you’ve got blinders on.”
The Sept. 2 farm meeting, held a stone’s throw outside Jonesboro at Woods Chapel Baptist, was monumental, says retired Dewitt grower Kenneth Graves, 71. “I’d say 400 people or so showed up, maybe more. We’re talking about people standing outside the building in the middle of harvest. That tells you all you need to know.”
Dwarfing expectations, the line of overflow attendees wrapped around the building on Sept. 2.
Graves, chairman of the Arkansas Rice Growers Association, understands severe hardship. He farmed through the anemic ag crisis of the 1980s. However, the current unrest is a “coming disaster” unlike anything he’s witnessed across a 50-year career: “I’ve never seen this kinda look in farmers’ eyes. It’s fear. And it’s based in undeniable facts.”
In August 2025, Graves sent an open letter to media and politicians, pleading for attention to eye-popping numbers. “My letter told what things are like right now. In our geography, it looks like you need to yield 100-300-300 to stay ahead,” Graves describes. “That’s 100-bushel beans, 300-bushel rice and 300-bushel corn. Basic Arkansas averages are 56-bushel beans, 166-bushel rice and 175-bushel corn. In a nutshell, we are going over a cliff. Banks are forecasting farm bankruptcies at 25% to 40%, and the dirty secret is out. Everyone knows it; everyone feels it.”
How does the industry even begin to crawl out of the hole? Start with markets, Graves urges. “Our international competitors play under the table and get hidden subsidies. The whole dynamic is off. At every level of agriculture, there must be a reckoning. That certainly includes seed, chemical and machinery companies. Back off.”
Death of a thousand cuts, according to Graves: “It’s been building over time and now it’s on the doorstep. You can argue that guys will be able to get back in their fields next spring, but that’s just denying the inevitable. Whether this year or next year or the next, there’s a crash coming.”
“In a nutshell, we are going over a cliff,” says Kenneth Graves. “Banks are forecasting farm bankruptcies at 25% to 40%, and the dirty secret is out. Everyone knows it; everyone feels it.”
Graves advocates for immediate political intervention. “I’m urging legislators at all levels to act now,” he says. “We’re talking about our food and agriculture security, and when that tanks, the economic effect will spill over every rural region in the country.
“Remember when that Chinese spy balloon flew over the U.S. in 2023, and our politicians did nothing? They made a lot of noise and acted too late, shooting it down after it collected data across the country,” Graves adds. “It’s past time to act. Our politicians either recognize this now or let us be some other country’s economic hostage later.”
Adios to fifth- and sixth-generation farmers?
Yes, says Bailey Buffalo, 40, owner of Buffalo Grain Systems in Jonesboro, and president of Farm Protection Alliance.
“Horror stories. The pain is unreal. Worst farming situation I’ve seen in my life,” Buffalo says. “Look at Extension [University of Arkansas] numbers — corn growers losing $240 per acre; soybeans losing $144 per acre; and rice losing $380 per acre. The cotton growers may be worst of all.”
Agriculture’s handbrake must be pulled, says Bailey Buffalo, with an economic reversal contingent on a deep look at consolidation, moratoriums, and diversification.
Storms can be weathered during agricultural tumult, Buffalo maintains — except when a thumb rests on the scale. Consolidation, he says, has turned a market rut into a debacle.
“Basic macroeconomics (CR4) tells us that if the top four competitors in any sector control more than 40% of the market, abuses become likely and that sector is approaching a monopolistic risk. That’s where I believe we’re at in farming,” he explains. “We can’t climb out of this mess partly because we’re at the mercy of agriculture monopolies.
“Take corn, cotton, rice and soybean seed. They’re at 70% to 90% control by corporate cartels, in my opinion. Take fertilizer where the top four players control about 82% of the market,” he adds. “If 40% of any sector is a monopoly risk, then what the hell do our agriculture percentages tell us?”
Despite Buffalo’s alarm, the input market contains exceptions, he notes: “I can name small seed suppliers and fertilizer suppliers who are providing very high-quality products at fractions of what those much larger corporations are charging. The farmers just have to put the extra work into finding them and into getting their orders in early as possible. They are proving that it’s possible for small operations to sneak into corners of the market.”
Yet, exceptions do not move the overall dial. “Farmers are literally losing money per acre while Big Agriculture is making hundreds of millions of dollars and more,” Buffalo says. “How can that be sustainable? You can make all the excuses or justifications you like, but any fair-minded person knows the situation is way out of balance.”
“At every level of agriculture, there must be a reckoning,” says Kenneth Graves. “That certainly includes seed, chemical, and machinery companies. Back off.”
Bailout cash is a “gross Band-Aid,” according to Buffalo.
“The subsidies send farmers back to the pit, over and over. The money trickles to lenders, loans, suppliers, banks or somewhere else in chain. Bailouts are the same as kicking the can down the road,” he adds.
That “can” has grown exceedingly heavy and the end of the road is in sight, Buffalo says: “Some people blame tariffs. Some blame the current president. Some blame the last president. Some blame other politicians. In the background of all this blame, nobody is looking at where farmers spend their money. Farmers pay monopolies and often feel they have no choice.”
Agriculture’s handbrake must be pulled, Buffalo says, with an economic reversal contingent on a deep look at consolidation, moratoriums and diversification — via both a federal and state lens. In his opinion, the following four changes are in order:
1. Start with monopolies. “State constitutions have anti-trust legislation. Create smoke at the state level and force USDA and the feds to follow.”
2. Put an indefinite moratorium on all mergers and acquisitions in the food and ag sectors. “End consolidation and demand long-lasting change.”
3. Get a handle on D.C. lobbyists. According to a 2024 report, Cultivating Control: Lobbying by the agribusiness sector has steadily increased: In just the last five years, the agribusiness sector’s annual lobbying expenditures have risen 22%, from $145 million in 2019 to $177 million in 2023. And each year, agribusiness spends more on federal lobbying than the oil and gas industry and the defense sector.
A five-year “cooling off” lobbying period should be set in stone for any government official exiting office, Buffalo says: “Defense, SEC going to Wall Street, any of them, including agriculture. You should never, never be allowed to retire from an ag committee in Congress and then run over to a board at Tyson, Cargill, ADM, John Deere or any other company.”
4. The grain industry must diversify. “I think diversification must be part of any solution. I’m talking about an effort to grow all our food in this country. Our grain goes to feed and ethanol, but we need a structure to grow our own edible food as well, and protect our national security like never before.”
The entire agriculture industry—a bedrock of U.S. security—rests squarely on the shoulders of the American farmer. Ironically, that same farmer is the only player in the ag chain who cannot pass costs down the ladder.
At the Sept. 2 spillover meeting in northeast Arkansas, Buffalo was present, listening to the plight of the common grower. The meeting was noted by media and politicians as evidence of a dire “agriculture crisis.” Ironically, no such crisis exists, Buffalo asserts.
“They don’t get it and therefore they can’t properly find the solution,” he says. “Right now, if I was to walk into Congress and ask all the senators and reps, ‘Who thinks the agriculture industry is hurting to the point of collapse?’ all the hands would go up. Instead, the question should be, ‘Who thinks farmers are hurting to the point of collapse?’”
“There’s a giant difference between the two questions, and that difference is indicative of the separation between local Ag and Big Ag,” Buffalo concludes. “Farmers, not the giant agriculture manufacturers, are the ones hurting to the point of going belly up. There’s no solving any of this until that difference is recognized.”