Ag News

House Agriculture Committee passes farm bill

On March 4, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee passed the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) by a 34-17 vote, sending it to the House floor for consideration.

The 802-page bill, referred to as “Farm Bill 2.0,” addresses farm bill programs that were not included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). That legislation (“Farm Bill 1.0”), which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, included provisions for farm bill commodity programs with updated reference prices.

“Getting this bill through the House Ag Committee is an important step,” said Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall. “Georgia’s farmers need the stability of a five-year farm bill, and we hope Congress can push through a new farm bill this year.”

Farm Bill 2.0 reauthorizes the farm bill through 2031 and includes additional provisions for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, energy, horticulture, crop insurance, livestock and other animals, and foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land.

Included in the committee-passed farm bill were 181 “marker bills,” bills addressing specific issues that are submitted to gauge interest rather than to pass as stand-alone bills. According to a committee summary, 149 of the marker bills in the farm bill had bipartisan support.

Two marker bills submitted by Georgia congressmen carry significance for Georgia farmers still working to recover from Hurricane Helene and market disruptions that harm businesses in the timber sector.

The Farmers AID Relief Act, introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga. 1st District), would direct the secretary of agriculture to use an alternate data set when assessing eligibility for Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI) indemnity payments beginning with the 2027 crop year.

Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga. 12th District) submitted the “Timber Harvesters, Haulers, and Landowners Market Disruptions Relief Act,” which would establish a relief program for timber businesses affected by market events like sawmill closures, trade barriers and price declines.

Click here to review the House farm bill in its entirety.

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