Completing the Job: The House Farm Bill Proposal

Key Takeaways

• Farm bill provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act strengthened parts of the farm safety net, but reconciliation rules left major farm bill titles unfinished. The new Farm, Food, and National Security Act (FFNSA) text is designed to complete full reauthorization across conservation, rural development, research, trade, forestry, energy and specialty crop programs that have not yet been fully reauthorized.
• The proposal makes targeted “implementation” upgrades, not just funding changes, aimed at improving program access and delivery. Across conservation and rural development, FFNSA emphasizes flexibility, streamlined delivery and expanded technical support (e.g., precision ag eligibility and higher cost-share options, third-party technical assistance, updated broadband and water tools), which can reduce transaction costs and speed on-farm adoption.
• FFNSA contains consequential regulatory and market-structure provisions that go beyond budget items, including pesticide labeling uniformity and interstate commerce protections. These provisions are intended to reduce compliance fragmentation and litigation uncertainty while maintaining federal oversight.

The farm bill is the cornerstone of U.S. agriculture and food policy. Scheduled for renewal every five years, the legislation covers a broad range of programs addressing nearly every aspect of agriculture and rural life. The most recent farm bill was enacted in 2018 and has since been extended three times, with the current extension set to expire on Sept. 30, 2026.

In 2024, the House Agriculture Committee advanced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 with bipartisan committee support, but the bill was never scheduled for a House floor vote. As farm bill negotiations stalled, Congress turned to budget reconciliation in 2025, using the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to address major gaps in the farm safety net that fit reconciliation rules, delivering meaningful commodity policy updates, but leaving many non-budget items and full title-by-title reauthorization unfinished.

The House Agriculture Committee has now released updated legislative text for the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 with the goal of advancing the remaining provisions of the farm bill. In this Market Intel, we outline what’s included in the draft and what it could mean for farmers, ranchers and rural communities.