Ag News

U.S. House advances farm bill

On April 30, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Food, Farm and National Security Act of 2026 (FFNSA or H.R. 7567) by a 224-200 vote.

From the Georgia congressional delegation, Reps. Buddy Carter, Sanford Bishop, Rick Allen,  Andrew Clyde, Mike Collins, Clay Fuller, Brian Jack, Rich McCormick and Austin Scott voted in favor of the bill, commonly referred to as the farm bill. The legislation would extend authorization of federal farm programs through 2031.

The FFNSA has gone the Senate to be considered. As of May 7, the Senate was still drafting its version with markup expected to happen by early June. Once the Senate passes its version, representatives of each chamber will meet in conference committee to negotiate the differences between the two bills. Then each chamber must pass the revised version before it goes to the president to be signed into law.

“Farmers and ranchers applaud the House of Representatives for passing a new, modernized farm bill. We appreciate Chairman G.T. Thompson’s leadership to get this done. After three years of extensions and eight years since a farm bill was passed, we’re grateful the House found a bipartisan path forward,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said. “Important updates to research and conservation, as well as increased loan limits and clarity on interstate commerce, will help farmers survive today’s challenges and give them the tools to thrive in the future.”

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga. 8th Congressional District and member of the House Agriculture Committee) said the bill builds on provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill passed last year, noting that H.R. 7567 “completes the long-delayed Farm Bill process. This legislation modernizes trade and global food assistance, bolsters the future of American agriculture by improving access to farm credit, invests in broadband, childcare, health care, workforce needs, and critical water infrastructure projects that strengthen our rural communities and give them much-needed support for the years to come.  This is a major win for America’s growers, ranchers, and all of rural America.”

According to a summary from Rep. Allen, the bill includes measures to expand access to credit and risk management tools, addresses transparency in the nutrition title and prioritize domestic production of healthy fruits and vegetables.

FFNS would increase funding for export promotion programs, modernize rural development and energy programs, prioritize cutting-edge research, expand access to meat processing and codify key initiatives related to national security and foreign ownership of farmland. The bill would protect interstate commerce for livestock producers.

Notably, the bill would transfer authority for the Food for Peace Act from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the USDA.

For a title-by-title summary from the House Ag Committee, click here.

 https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/final_ffns26_titlesummaries.pdf

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