Groups say the work has just begun
A new farm bill is one step closer to becoming reality after the House Ag Committee voted 34-17 to advance the Farm, Food, and National Security Act.
"Throughout this markup, it became clearer than ever before that our country needs a new farm bill, and we don’t need it next year, or next Congress. We need it now,” Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson said in a March 5 statement. “I look forward to working in good faith with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we move toward a final vote on the House floor."
Here are some highlights of the marked-up farm bill:
- Includes propane used in ag for eligibility in the storage facility loan program
- Increases funding for multiple trade-related programs like the Market Access Program and the Foreign market Development Program
- Enhances financing options for producers who can’t secure credit from commercial lenders
- Affirms sustainable aviation fuel as an advanced biofuel
- Directs USDA to prioritize projects addressing childcare in rural and agricultural communities
- Allows livestock auction owners to invest in packing facilities
If the 2026 farm bill becomes law, it would be American ag’s first new farm bill since 2018.
The 2018 farm bill expired in 2023, and U.S. ag has been operating under that bill ever since because of multiple extensions. Some ag support was also included in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
But the world has changed since 2018, and farmers need a new farm bill that reflects those shifts, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says.
“Farmers understand there are many competing priorities in our country right now, but so much has changed since Congress last updated the farm bill in 2018,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a statement. “Agriculture has endured a pandemic, runaway inflation, rising interest rates, and historic supply chain and market disruptions. Costs for fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and labor have surged, and margins have narrowed.”
Here’s how industry groups have been reacting to the bill’s progress.
Getting the bill out of the committee stage is a good start but Congress needs to get the farm bill over the finish line.
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), for example, “encourages Speaker Johnson to bring the farm bill to House floor and we call on Members of Congress to support its passage,” NAWG President Jamie Kress said. “By advancing this legislation, Congress can address key priorities for wheat farmers including modernizing the Farm Credit title, permanently transferring Food for Peace to USDA, strengthening trade promotion programs, reauthorizing CRP, and ensuring science-based labeling for crop protection tools.”
The National Milk Producers Federation is pleased with how the bill addresses dairy, including with surveys and program extensions.
“We stand ready to work with members of both the House and Senate on a bipartisan basis to pass a farm bill this year that will provide critical support for dairy farmers and their cooperatives,” the organization said.
And the National Pork Producers Council says “it is up to the full House of Representatives to finish the job: pass the farm bill and give agricultural producers across the country true freedom to farm.