Farm Groups Appeal for Congress to Pass Farm Bill 2.0

More than 260 national and state farm organizations and Farm Credit institutions appealed to congressional leaders Thursday to take up and pass legislation reauthorizing and revising farm programs not included in the domestic spending and tax law enacted in July.

“While vital provisions to ensure long-term stability and competitiveness for U.S. agriculture were included in the budget reconciliation bill, it cannot and should not be a substitute for a full Farm Bill. The full suite of programs across all Farm Bill titles are essential to the viability of our agricultural system and rural communities,” says the letter.

The letter goes on, “We understand there are many needs to address during the remainder of the 119th Congress, and limited floor time must be carefully prioritized. However, we encourage leadership in both chambers to devote the necessary resources to ensuring timely debate and action.”

Issues that need to be addressed include reauthorization of the Conservation Reserve Program; limits for USDA direct and guaranteed loans; rural broadband assistance; and a provision to trigger permanent price-support laws if existing commodity programs are allowed to lapse after 2031.

House Ag Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., has said he also wants to include provisions to address concerns around industrial hemp, lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers and California’s Proposition 12 regulations on sow housing.

It’s not clear that Democrats will cooperate with passing the bill given their anger over cuts in the budget bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Thompson reiterated Thursday to reporters that he would need as much as $8 billion in funding for farm bill 2.0 unless he drops nutrition assistance provisions from the legislation.

He said Congress will have to pass an extension of programs that expire Sept. 30, but he indicated there was no urgency to do that before January, and he said, “I still think we can get a good, bipartisan, bicameral farm bill, 2.0.”

“While Farm Credit is extremely grateful for the vital provisions included in the budget reconciliation bill that strengthen long-term stability and competitiveness, further legislation is needed to meet the evolving needs of U.S. agriculture,” Farm Credit Council President and CEO Christy Seyfert said in a press release.

This article was originally published by Agri-Pulse. Agri-Pulse is a trusted source in Washington, D.C., with the largest editorial team focused on food and farm policy coverage.