The resolution, in part, stated: "Family farms are crucial to our nation’s food supply, our rural communities and the overall health of our nation’s economy. The number of farmers and ranchers who make their primary living from production agriculture continues to shrink because of commodity price volatility.

"The expiration date of the 2008 Farm Bill has already lapsed once, leading to an extension to 30 September 2013. Congress cannot allow the bill to expire again; we simply cannot afford it. Farmers, ranchers and the lenders that provide them credit are at Congress’s mercy, struggling to make business decisions in an uncertain policy environment.

"There is no more critical issue for rural America and the consumers we serve, both here in the United States and across the globe, than passage of a new comprehensive, five-year farm bill in 2013.

"Some have suggested splitting farms programs and nutrition programs into two separate bills. Not only would this be a jarring disruption to the historic coalition of urban, rural and conservation groups, it would also likely effectively kill both bills, producing no legislative action for either."