Experts, Lawmakers Split on 2026 Farm Bill Likelihood

By Ryan Hanrahan

E&E News’ Grace Yarrow reported that “House Republicans are planning to revive farm bill negotiations in January after failing to garner enough political will to pass a new deal by the end of the year, as they’d initially hoped.”

“House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) said in an interview that he wants to get a markup on the calendar ahead of a Jan. 30 funding deadline, though he acknowledged it may be too complicated to attach the farm bill to new spending legislation,” Yarrow reported. “The punt to January means Congress will have gone a third year without making needed updates to critical agriculture policies, creating fresh uncertainty for farmers who’ve been pummeled by high input costs, rising inflation and President Donald Trump’s tariff wars.”

Lawmakers Say 2026 Five-Year Farm Bill Still Possible

Agri-Pulse’s Kim Chipman, Lydia Johnson, Oliver Ward, and Noah Wicks reported that “House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Pa., is taking issue with suggestions that the days of full, five-year farm bills may be over. ‘I think that’s people who are naive and don’t have a great historical grasp on farm bill processes,‘ he told Agri-Pulse.”

Brownfield Ag News’ Carah Hart reported that “the chairman of the U.S. Senate Ag Committee says he’s optimistic lawmakers can make progress on a new farm bill in 2026. John Boozman from Arkansas says even in an election year it’s possible.”

“‘If you spend any time at all in farm country, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s difficult,'” Hart reported. “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law earlier this year included some farm bill provisions, but others couldn’t be addressed with reconciliation. He tells Brownfield that includes addressing loan limits. ‘All of those limits and things they don’t work anymore, so we’ve got to increase those. That doesn’t cost a lot of money. You know that’s the good news, but it can be very helpful to our farm community. Those are the things that we got to get straightened out.'”

Experts Doubt Full Five-Year Farm Bill in 2026

Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that former Farm Service Agency (FSA) director Jonathan Coppess “warned that Congress’ policy changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have permanently severed the political link between food assistance and farm programs.”