House Agriculture Committee releases farm bill text

On February 13, House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson released text for the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026. Sometimes referred to as "Farm Bill 2.0" or the "skinny" farm bill, this bill addresses policy issues that were not included in last summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). The House bill includes all 12 of the normal farm bill titles but is budget neutral, meaning that it does not include additional investments.

Several provisions that ASA, CSSA, and SSSA support were included in the bill. In the Conservation title, there is new emphasis on third-party providers for conservation technical assistance, and a clear process for certifying third-party technical assistance providers is established. In the Research title, several research programs are reauthorized, including AGARDA, AFRI, SARE, and FFAR, but no additional funding is included. The bill directs greater coordination between USDA and DOE, DOD, and NSF and creates the Ag Innovation Corp to facilitate ag tech transfer.

The House Agriculture Committee has announced a markup beginning on February 23, but Democratic support for the bill could be limited with Ranking Member Angie Craig indicating she will not be voting for the bill although it is likely some rank-and-file members will. While Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman expressed his support for the House bill, the process and timeline to move the farm bill in the Senate remains unclear.