Farm Bill
After passing the House 224-200, the farm bill is headed to the Senate, where SNAP funding could be another problematic topic.
After being pulled from the farm bill, year-round E15 sales are now heading for a standalone House vote following a key compromise between the ethanol and refining industries.
In a major legislative milestone, the House-passed H.R. 7567 offers a roadmap for the next five years of American agriculture.
The One Big Beautiful Bill’s new rules will allow for additional farm program payments, according to Richard Fordyce, USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation.
Action expected within weeks as lawmakers push for post-Easter progress on emergency relief and regulatory fixes.
Why is a long-term farm bill even needed with the provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill? Industry leaders explain their views on the issue.
The nation’s farm groups are pushing for increased demand through biofuels and trade.
Government buyout programs have long been part of the dairy industry. Western United Dairies says the Make America More Ground Beef initiative is different and would help monetize surplus dairy cows, increase beef supply and lower grocery prices.
With Congress passing another extension, some economists suggest a new reality may be setting in: the era of comprehensive Farm Bills could be ending, replaced by a piecemeal approach in Washington.
As a handful of corporations influences more of the agricultural supply chain, row crop growers say they are left with fewer input choices, higher prices and diminishing control over their own operations.
As Jed Bower takes the helm at NCGA, he is working to expand market opportunities in the U.S. and abroad, and looking for practical ways to reduce regulatory burdens on farmers.
The House and Senate Ag Committees are planning to work on language yet this fall on a Farm bill 2.0., but at least one Washington ag lobbyist says he expects it will be difficult to get passed.
Steve Censky, chief executive officer of the American Soybean Association, says unless China buys soybeans soon, they may be looking at aid similar to the Market Facilitation Program used back in 2018-19 during the last trade war.
Find out how one leader in Congress is advocating a grounded approach to the Make American Healthy Again agenda.
House Ag Committee Ranking Member Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) has voiced sharp doubts that enough Democrats will support the Farm Bill 2.0 this fall.
The thought in some ag circles is that the One Big Beautiful Bill is a farm bill prototype or laying the groundwork for its development. Farmers and Sen. John Boozman weigh in with their perspectives.
In addition to major tax provisions, the bill enhances the current safety net, providing $66 billion in new spending for farm programs.
The groups are urging the administration to “formally include farmers, ranchers and food producers in a collaborative stakeholder process.” An action report — a follow-up to the MAHA report released in May — is due by August 12.
The move would increase biomass-based diesel requirements, from 3.35 billion gallons in 2025 to 5.61 billion gallons in 2026, supporting American row-crop growers in the process.
While the 1,000-page bill includes spending increases for agriculture-facing programs by $56.6 billion over the next decade, there’s one major priority that didn’t make it into the House’s version.
The massive bill faced two major hurdles, passing out of both the House Agriculture and House Ways and Means Committees. While the legislation is filled with positive tax provisions for farmers, potential cuts to SNAP are creating controversy.
The April Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found most agricultural economists think it could be 2026 before we see Congress final pass a new bill. One reason why is the fact Congress passed $10 billion in ECAP payments late last year.
While 56% of farmers say they believe the ongoing trade disputes with China and other countries will hurt them financially this year, 70% say they believe the U.S. and agriculture specifically will benefit in the long-term.
On her list of issues to tackle, says Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, is deciding if farmers will need another round of assistance payments later this year and if USDA headquarters should be relocated.
California’s Proposition 12 has devastated family farms, fueled market consolidation and increased food costs. Legislators brought forward The Food Security and Farm Protection Act to protect farmers and consumers from “burdensome government overreach.”
Cheap cotton prices and dwindling demand are just part of the problem. Input costs have climbed and there’s no safety net to be found from a new farm bill. One Georgia farmer says the current farm bill is irrelevant and worthless, and if a new one doesn’t get passed this year, the cotton industry is doomed.
Under the direction of Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, USDA is ready to roll out a number of programs that have been on hold pending review, and she’s pushing Congress to get to work on finishing a new farm bill.