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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The worsening farm economy prompted National Farmers Union (NFU) leaders to call for action that will minimize the continued decline in farm income. Average net farm income in North Dakota dropped from ,404 in 2014 to ,600 in 2015, a 63 percent decline.

“We called for corrective action and evaluation of price support levels, including an increase in price supports or economic disaster declarations, so that farm programs serve their purpose of stabilizing farm income during low commodity cycles,” said North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne, who helped draft the resolution to that affect at a meeting of NFU state presidents in Healdsburg, Calif., earlier this week.

Watne said low farm prices are predicted to continue for the next several years, which will present challenges to the survival of family farms and rural communities. He said net farm income is projected to be down by 3 percent this year, putting net farm income at its lowest level since 2002.

“When family farmers and ranchers struggle to pay their bills, the impact reverberates through communities,” he said. “It also spurs consolidation in agricultural sectors, ultimately reducing the price farmers receive for their commodities due to reduced competition.”

Farmers Union is urging family farmers and ranchers to call on public officials and candidates for office at local, state and national levels to make them aware of the economic condition in the countryside.

“Family farmers and ranchers who provide the food, fuel and fiber for the country deserve financial security and a farm safety net that enables them to remain on the farm and pass it on to future generations,” said Watne.