House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson released text for what he hopes will become the long-awaited new farm bill. He said the committee will begin making up the legislation on Feb. 23.
While the farm bill typically includes legislation governing farm safety net programs, crop insurance and nutrition funding, the bulk of those issues were already addressed in the July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Thompson’s bill, formally called the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, aims to update the remaining issues last addressed in the 2018 Farm Bill. His bill has also been called the "skinny farm bill" or "Farm Bill 2.0."
“This bill provides modern policies for modern challenges and is shaped by years of listening to the needs of farmers, ranchers and rural Americans,” Thompson said in a Friday afternoon press release. “The farm bill affects our entire country, regardless of whether you live on a farm, and I look forward to seeing my colleagues in Congress work together to get this critical legislation across the finish line.”
Getting the legislation across the finish line will be a tall order. While acknowledging her staff is still reviewing the text, House Ag Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., said what she’s seen so far “fails to meet the moment facing farmers and working people.”
In a Friday press release, she urged her Republican colleagues to “drop the political charade” and work with Democrats on a “truly bipartisan bill” that addresses the problems farmer are facing before it’s too late.
“Farmers need Congress to act swiftly to end inflationary tariffs, stabilize trade relationships, expand domestic market opportunities like year-round E15 and help lower input costs,” Craig said. “The Republican majority instead chose to ignore Democratic priorities and focus on pushing a shell of a farm bill with poison pills that complicates if not derails chances of getting anything done.”
No year-round E15
Notably missing from Thompson’s bill was much hoped for legislation allowing year-round E15 sales. Less than three weeks ago, President Trump all but promised an Iowa audience year-round sales were imminent.
“I promised E15 all year round if I got elected, and I want to let you know and we’ll start right now,” Trump said at an event near Des Moines.
The president went on to tell the crowd he intentionally waited to make his statement in Iowa. Trump added that he trusted Congressional House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to craft a plan beneficial to farmers, consumers and refiners. Their work apparently continues.
Prop 12 repeal coming?
The farm bill proposal also includes language to eliminate state laws like California’s Proposition 12. That voter-approved legislation imposed stricter housing requirements for pigs, poultry and other animals. It has been controversial for years since it essentially requires other states to adhere to California law in order to access that state’s large market.
National Pork Producers Council officials welcomed the potential change.
“America’s pork producers thank Chairman Thompson for continuing to take bold steps once again to protect our livelihoods from an unsustainable patchwork of state laws,” said Duane Stateler, NPPC president. “We implore the full House Agriculture Committee to stand up for the American farmer, preserve states’ rights and help keep pork affordable for the American consumers.”
Still, others worry that nullifying the law is inhumane for animals and overrides the will of the voters. It also impacts farmers who have invested in facilities to meet California’s new requirements.
At the heart of the Proposition 12 debate are pig gestation crates that some farmers and animal scientists condemn as inhumane. Officials with the American Meat Producers Association note that the renowned scientist Temple Grandin has said gestation crates for pigs “are a real problem” and should be phased out.
“This is about states’ rights and voter rights,” said Holly Bice, AMPA president. “Millions of voters made their voices heard at the ballot box. Congress should not overturn those decisions through backroom language.”
Conservation Reserve Program reauthorized
The skinny farm bill would reauthorize the Conservation Reserve Program, with the 27 million cap on acres remaining in place. Officials with nonpartisan group Invest In our Land say they appreciate Thompson’s efforts to pass a farm bill that includes robust support and reforms for federal conservation programs, better access to precision agriculture tools and a reauthorized Conservation Reserve Program.
"However, funding and policy improvements alone are not enough when NRCS capacity has been hollowed out over the past year, with 22% of its staff — equal to 2,673 employees - leaving the agency in just the first half of 2025,” said Rebecca Bartels, IIOL executive director. “Without sufficient NRCS staff, programs and payments stall, contracts go unimplemented, and farmers are left carrying these consequences alone. As Congress works to get this farm bill across the finish line, we urge members to give producers the certainty they need by protecting both conservation funding and the NRCS workforce required to deliver it to farmers on the ground."
Other bill provisions
- New language mandates uniform pesticide labeling. This would prohibit individual states from enacting more stringent warning labels.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program nutrition guidelines would be coordinated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again philosophy
- Additional reporting requirements would be required for foreign-owned farmland
- Limits to THC content in hemp products enacted in the big beautiful bill remain largely in place; hemp industry advocates worry this could decimate the industry
- The Food for Peace international food aid program would officially be transferred to USDA
- Farmers would see higher limits for guaranteed operating loans