Stakeholders champion the House passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. Now, the Farm Bill, the first since 2018, will go to the Senate.
“Agriculture is the cornerstone of Wisconsin and the backbone of our nation. From dairy farms to multi-generational family operations, our farmers don’t just feed our state, they feed America and sustain the strength of rural communities across the country,” says Congressman Derrick Van Orden following the vote. “This farm bill is another step toward strengthening stability and ensuring our farmers have the opportunity to compete.”
After a week of uncertainty and late-night negotiations, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association says it is encouraged to see bipartisan action delivering meaningful support for dairy through expanded nutrition programs, strengthened trade promotion, and risk management tools for producers and processors alike.
The bill contains provisions supported by the American Soybean Association, including a transfer of Food for Peace authority to USDA, conservation program funding, the Plant Biostimulant Act, increased access to credit programs, funding for precision agriculture, reauthorization of the Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program and Biorefinery Assistance Program, and addresses federal issues caused by state-level animal welfare initiatives.
“At a time when U.S. soybean farmers need certainty more than ever, the 2026 Farm Bill offers a myriad of tools and programs to help the agricultural industry navigate changing market dynamics and ongoing farm production and economic challenges,” says Scott Metzger, ASA president and soybean farmer from Ohio.
America’s 60,000-plus pork producers of all sizes, from all states celebrated House passage of the 2026 Farm Bill. On an bipartisan 224-200 vote, the Farm Bill included 100 percent of the National Pork Producers Council’s policy requests, including a very significant section that provides relief from the California Proposition 12. Learn more: https://nppc.org/news/americas-pork-producers-celebrate-victory-express-thanks-after-bipartisan-house-farm-bill-passage/
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane thanked the House for passing the Farm Bill and urged Senate action.
“Instead of caving to attacks on the livestock industry from shell activist groups that impersonate real producers, a bipartisan group of lawmakers advanced a bill that will provide certainty and important policy fixes for cattle country,” Lane says. “We look forward to engaging with the Senate to advance this Farm Bill to the president’s desk.”
The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance calls the passage a pivotal step forward for American agriculture. The SCFBA is co-chaired by Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association; Mike Joyner, President of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council.
“As specialty crop producers face urgent and unprecedented economic pressures, enacting a comprehensive five-year farm bill is vital to their sustainability and to the communities they serve. We strongly urge the Senate to act swiftly so that a bipartisan farm bill can get through conference and to the President’s desk this year. American specialty crop growers cannot afford further delay.”
Farm Credit Council President and CEO Christy Seyfert says the Farm Bill strengthens the tools producers need to navigate rising input costs, tighter margins, and increasingly volatile markets.
“It includes bipartisan provisions to modernize Farm Service Agency loan limits and programs, expand access to credit for young and beginning producers and strengthen rural communities by offering additional financing options for essential community facilities like hospitals and community care centers,” Seyfert says.
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture CEO Ted McKinney says NASDA stands ready to continue collaboration to advance this critical legislation. H.R. 7567 prioritizes provisions that strengthen local food purchasing programs, enhance international market opportunities, reauthorize the three-legged stool for foreign animal disease prevention and preserve the viability of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
The American Feed Industry Association says the 2026 farm bill includes two marker bills it had proposed. First, the Safe American Food Exports Act of 2025 provides additional resources for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate regionalization agreements that would reduce trade disruptions in the event of an animal disease outbreak on U.S. soil. Second, the concept of the Securing American Agriculture Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to perform thorough assessments identifying threats to critical agricultural inputs, such as vitamins and amino acids, and develop strategies to reduce the United States’ reliance on China for critical inputs.
“Now that House lawmakers eased their foot off the brakes, it’s time for Senate lawmakers to put their feet on the gas and drive forward a bill that will fundamentally support how we provide Americans with food in the future,” says President and CEO Constance Cullman.
National Farmers Union President Rob Larew says the House vote is the largest step in eight years towards delivering a farm bill for family farmers, ranchers and rural America, but warns the continued farm safety nets do not match the scale of the current economic crisis farmers are facing.
“It also maintains cuts to the nutrition safety net at a time when too many American families are struggling to make ends meet,” Larew says. “Other missed opportunities include authorizing year-round E15, restoring mandatory country-of-origin labeling, addressing rising input costs, protecting farmers and ranchers from the threat of market concentration and expanding domestic market opportunities for U.S. producers.”
