By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Reporter

U.S. farmers and ranchers are one step closer to having the certainty and security of a new five-year farm bill.

After more than 20 hours of debate this week, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee voted 34-17 to advance “The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026,” sometimes called Farm Bill 2.0, to the full House for its consideration.

“This vote is a critical step toward delivering certainty for farmers, ranchers and consumers who have waited far too long for an updated farm bill,” Russell Boening, Texas Farm Bureau president, said. “We thank Chairman G.T. Thompson and his team for their leadership and hard work to move this legislation forward in a thoughtful, bipartisan manner focused on real world challenges facing agriculture.”

U.S. House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), who led the crafting of the food and farm legislation, told the committee that while many programs in the 2018 Farm Bill were funded through legislation passed last year, there were still programs in all 12 titles of the farm bill that needed to be updated and addressed.

“It is clear that the policies of 2018 are no match for the challenges of 2026, and an update to the 2018 farm bill is long overdue,” Thompson said. “The bill we are deliberating today didn’t spontaneously appear in the halls of Congress. It was formed out in the fields, pastures and townhalls of our country. We visited three states and one territory while crafting the new farm bill, and every provision is directly informed by what we learned from our stakeholders.”

One of those farm bill listening sessions was held in Waco, allowing Texas farmers, ranchers and TFB the opportunity to weigh in on the legislation as it was being crafted.

“Texas Farm Bureau is proud to have played an active role in shaping this bill, including hosting a U.S. House Committee on Agriculture listening session in Waco in 2024 and taking committee members on farm tours so they could see firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing Texas producers,” Boening said. “That direct engagement makes a difference, which is reflected in the policies advancing today.”

The legislation considered by the House Ag Committee was similar to the 2024 farm bill draft, but with a few updates.

“This bill restores regulatory certainty in the interstate marketplace, expands investments in rural communities, and brings science-backed management back to our national forests,” Thompson said. “Farm bill programs will improve risk management tools for specialty crop producers, lower energy costs in rural America, and prioritize American commodities on the global stage.”

The farm bill will also expand farmers’ access to credit, promote new technologies like precision agriculture and enhance conservation programs, according to Thompson.

“Most of all, this is a practical farm bill that provides real and workable solutions,” he said.

The legislation includes updates in the credit title that would increase loan limits for farmers and expand upon credit and loan programs.

It also calls for strengthening rural broadband programs within the rural development title.

The 802-page bill would allow the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to establish a framework to deliver future assistance to specialty crop growers to keep disaster response consistent in future administrations. It would also create a standing authority to deliver ad hoc disaster assistance via block grants to states.

Farm Bill 2.0 would expand access to low-cost financing for agricultural storage infrastructure, namely propane, through the storage facility loan program.

In the conservation title, the bill would reauthorize the Conservation Reserve Program through fiscal year 2031 and maintain the current program cap at 27 million acres for five years.

The year-round sale of E-15 is not included in the bill.

“The ranking members denounce this bill because it doesn’t contain year-round E-15, doesn’t provide emergency assistance for farmers and doesn’t change the tariff policy,” Thompson said. “I’m very supportive of all three of those things. It’s just not our jurisdiction.”

The bill, with amendments, passed out of committee in a 34-17 vote early Thursday morning. Both Texans on the House Ag Committee, Reps. Ronny Jackson and Monica De La Cruz, voted in favor of the bill.

Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) voted against the bill.

The bill now awaits consideration by the full House.

On the U.S. Senate side, Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) told Agri-Pulse recently he would like the committee to take up its own version of the farm bill in the coming months.