Terrebonne attorney Jamie McLeod-Skinner is running for the Democratic nomination in 2024 for the 5th Congressional District. She lost the 2022 race for the seat to now-U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

It seems like almost every month, we’re hearing about the potential for another government shutdown due to Congressional budget inaction.

This looming uncertainty creates a very real threat for farmers and ranchers — and for families that depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — which, in turn, hurts rural communities and economies. This is because a key government agency that continually faces being shut down is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

A shutdown at USDA automatically suspends all Farm Bill programs, jeopardizing Oregon’s farmers, ranchers, and those living and working in rural communities. This affects nutrition, crop insurance, commodities, and conservation. Yet the Republican majority continues to drag its feet on reauthorizing the farm bill and hold funding hostage.

The impact is greater than most realize, because the farm bill isn’t only about farming. Here’s some of what’s at stake:

The food and nutrition programs, including SNAP (“food stamps”), is the largest part of the farm bill and what so many of our friends and neighbors depend on for food security. These programs would end immediately, which would be devastating for the roughly 20% of rural households in Oregon that rely on them to put healthy food on their tables.

Oregon farmers and ranchers will lose access to loan programs and subsidies, which will cause many local family-owned businesses to fail, resulting in our neighbors losing multigenerational farms, our food no longer being locally grown, and food costs going up for everyone.

Conservation programs for farmers, ranchers, and owners of forested land will end, resulting in reduced water quality, increased soil erosion, and depleted wildlife habitat.

Rural investments, including the expansion of rural broadband internet capacity, will be discontinued indefinitely, and perhaps permanently. This hurts everyone, but will impact schools, children, and small businesses the most.

Local orchards that are vulnerable to drought or wildfire, won’t receive assistance or relief if faced with climate impacts, again hurting farmers, ranchers, and local food supplies.

The list of potential devastating impacts on Oregonians and our economy goes on. I don’t want my neighbors to be denied these protections, especially food security, and knowing this community, I’m confident Oregonians don’t either.

Reauthorization of the farm bill didn’t used to be controversial. Since it was enacted in 1933, it has been regularly reenacted every five or six years. The “mark up” process includes public input on potential modifications and hearings in the House Agriculture Committee, where Oregon’s current 5th congressional district Representative serves.

Farm bill reauthorization was one of Congress’s basic responsibilities in 2023. But the chaos and lack of leadership resulted in it expiring last September.

This uncertainty prevents farmers and ranchers from making investments necessary to continue their operations, and it means people we know and love who need SNAP nutrition programs face hunger.

Why the delay?

While District 5’s Representative continues to collect her paycheck, she’s put the ability of Oregon’s farmers and ranchers at risk of losing theirs.

The impacts get worse: when family farmers and ranchers go out of business and have to sell their land, it puts Oregon’s precious natural resources at risk of being snatched up by mega corporations with absentee landlords. It’s already happening in parts of the district where new large-scale corporate chicken farms are impacting air quality, water quality, and local communities.

All of this is at risk when our representatives don’t do their job.

Oregon’s small family farms provide a special way of life. I lived on a small family farm in Southern Oregon when I was young. It involved hard work and a great quality of life.

As I’ve criss-crossed the district talking to folks, I’m hearing a growing sense of urgency for reauthorization of the farm bill and passage of a budget, not just a continuing resolution.

If the current Representative can’t or won’t do it, I will.

Do you have a point you’d like to make or an issue you feel strongly about? Submit a letter to the editor or a guest column.