With another year of complaints looming about a lack of a new Farm Bill, Republicans in the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture released text for a new bill that lawmakers said would provide, “modern policies for modern challenges.”
The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, being referred to as “farm bill 2.0,” addresses provisions that weren’t included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed last summer under budget reconciliation rules.
The bill expands disaster programs, such as the Tree Assistance program involving orchards, and includes plant pests under the definition of “natural disaster.” It also creates a framework for USDA to provide disaster aid to specialty crops and creates a standing authority to provide ad-hoc disaster aid through block grants to states.
There will surely be a fight over pesticide regulations, as the House Republican version of the bill includes a provision that would prevent states and courts from penalizing pesticide manufacturers for failing to include warnings on labels about health effects that go beyond EPA thresholds.
Critics of this provision believe lawsuits are the only way to hold pesticide companies accountable for not disclosing alleged harms of products.
As for conservation, the bill reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program and would keep the cap on acres at 27 million.
The bill would continue to support, “our proven system of voluntary, incentive-based, and locally led conservation through various improvements.”
Working lands conservation programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) would be protected, “while promoting precision agriculture.”
The proposed legislation also, “emphasizes science, technology and innovation, including within the conservation practice standards establishment and review processes.”
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said farmers appreciate the draft release of a “new, modernized farm bill. The legislation is needed more than ever as America’s farmers and ranchers struggle through the worst economic storm in generations.
“We’re still reviewing the text of the bill, but it includes important updates to credit, conservation, research, and rural development programs, and calls for expansion of specialty crop programs. The bill also preserves interstate commerce to enable farmers to remain competitive in the evolving marketplace.
“We urge the House Agriculture Committee to work in a bipartisan manner to find consensus and move the bill forward. Additionally, in light of the ongoing economic conditions plaguing rural America, Farm Bureau will continue to work with congressional leaders on our top priorities including additional funding for bridge assistance payments, year-round E15 and a solution to our agricultural labor crisis.”
The full text of the bill can be found here.
View a short overview here and a title-by-title summary here.
