FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Samantha Cave
NFFC Communications Coordinator
samantha@nffc.net
603-333-6281

Government Shutdown Delays Essential Services and Healthcare Access for Family-Scale Farmers 

Washington, DC, October 21, 2025 – Like fertilizer, seeds, and feed, healthcare is a necessary expense for family-scale farmers. Many farmers can only get coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. Twenty-seven percent of farmers and ranchers rely on the marketplace for healthcare, more than triple the national average of eight percent of the population. 

Shuttered USDA offices, delayed payments, and paused programs resulting from the shutdown have created an untenable future for many family farmers, especially as they attempt to access credit and plan for the next growing season. Add in the stresses of tariffs, funding freezes, and extreme weather, and we have a full-blown crisis brewing.  

The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) urges Congress to prioritize working peoples’ livelihoods and to swiftly end the ongoing government shutdown. As a non-partisan organization, we support our communities who deserve more than the partisan games being played behind the scenes. We join our farmer members in calling for an immediate resumption of government services and the extension of ACA tax credits.

Farmers need a functioning USDA and affordable healthcare to make a living and support their families. These are not competing priorities. Congress must support family-scale farmers by both ending the shutdown and extending the Advanced Premium Tax Credit.

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Since 1986, the National Family Farm Coalition has been mobilizing family farmers and ranchers to achieve fair prices, vibrant communities, and healthy foods free of corporate domination. Today, NFFC’s 30 member groups span 44 states and represent family farmers, ranchers, and fishermen across the United States.