Despite Progress Through Budget Reconciliation, Farmers and Ranchers Still Need a New Farm Bill
Brian Glenn
Director, Government Affairs
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
photo credit: AFBF Photo, Dylan Davidson
Brian Glenn
Director, Government Affairs
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
While the One Big Beautiful Bill helped out U.S. agriculture, farmers and ranchers are still waiting on a new farm bill. Chad Smith reports.
Smith: While Congress’s One Big Beautiful Bill budget package included approximately $66 billion in investment in key farm programs, there’s still work to be done. Brian Glenn, director of government affairs with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said a key focus was on improving risk management programs.
Glenn: About $60 billion of that investment was put towards modernizing farm safety net programs. These modernizations include extending key commodity support programs through the 2031 crop year. The bill also raises statutory reference prices for major covered commodities. It expanded premium support for beginning farmers and ranchers.
Smith: Despite those wins, Glenn said there are still several critical farm programs that need updating through a new farm bill.
Glenn: Some of those programs include reauthorization and funding for the Conservation Reserve Program. Also support for rural broadband programs in the rural development title, and support for additional research and extension programs, and there's also opportunity to make important policy updates, such as securing a fix to Proposition 12.
Smith: He said Congress is working on the next steps in the farm bill process right now.
Glenn: Chairman GT Thompson of the House Agriculture Committee is drafting a farm bill that addresses those remaining farm bill programs. They're doing that as we speak. Both the House and Senate Agriculture committees are currently conducting hearings on important policy priorities, and they're looking to move the bill this fall.
Smith: Chad Smith, Washington.
