Five-year Farm Bill introduced

A proposed five-year farm bill was recently introduced in the House of Representatives. The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 was introduced Feb. 13 by Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) The bill includes price and revenue support, marketing loans and specialized programs for dairy, sugar and disaster assistance for major crops..The bill was introduced as producers face volatility from volatile commodity prices, weather events and market disruptions. Only half of borrowers expect to be profitable this year, a six-year low, according to a survey of more than 450 ag lenders in 2025. The vast majority of lenders expected farm debt would increase over the next 12 months, which the American Bankers Association attributed to tighter working capital and a greater reliance on credit. Under the bill, financing options would be expanded for producers who cannot obtain credit from a commercial lender. It would provide resources to new, young, beginning and veteran farmers in transitioning their farms. Policies would be researched and developed for crops that lack access to crop insurance, and an advisory committee would be established for specialty crop producers. Farmers, ranchers and growers would be provided with technical and financial assistance to address soil health and erosion, wildlife habitat and water quality and quantity. The bill would transfer the authority of the Food for Peace Act — a 1954 law that uses domestic ag commodities to fight global hunger — to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide domestic producers with consistent markets and streamline programs Thompson sees as inefficient. The ag secretary would be directed to establish a framework for specialty crop producers in the event of an economic downturn. A standing block grant authority would be launched for future disaster payments. The package reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program, which compensates farmers in long-term contracts to remove farmland from production and plant grass or other cover. “This bill provides modern policies for modern challenges and is shaped by years of listening to the needs of farmers, ranchers and rural Americans,” Thompson said. “The farm bill affects our entire country, regardless of whether you live on a farm, and I look forward to seeing my colleagues in Congress work together to get this critical legislation across the finish line.” Congress last passed a five-year Farm Bill in 2018, with several one-year extensions in the ensuing seven years. The most recent extension was through Sept. 30, 2026. The Farm Bill is similar to the $1.5 trillion, five-year package Thompson introduced in 2024. The fate of the bill is in question as Democrats and Republicans continue to spar over its provisions. Angie Craig, a Minnesota DFLer and the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said she cannot support the bill. She criticized a provision that would protect pesticide manufacturers and that GOP staff have not shared the text with minority members. “The Republican farm bill fails to meet the moment facing farmers and working people,” she said. “Farmers need Congress to act swiftly to end inflationary tariffs, stabilize trade relationships, expand domestic market opportunities like year-round E15 and help lower input costs.”