Chairman Boozman: Farm Bill 2.0 Is Built for the People Who Feed America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) on Tuesday unveiled the Agricultural Act of 2026, a Farm Bill discussion draft designed to strengthen the farm economy, modernize agricultural policy and invest in the future of rural America. Calling it "built for the people who feed America," the senator emphasized the proposal's focus on supporting farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

"America's farmers, ranchers and producers have always answered the call to do more to feed the nation. Farm Bill 2.0 is built to support the backbone of our food system," Boozman said on the Senate floor.

The proposal reflects input from farmers, ranchers, rural community leaders and stakeholders across the country and incorporates more than 100 bipartisan Senate bills and priorities to address the challenges facing producers and rural communities.

The Agricultural Act of 2026 builds on improvements enacted through the Working Families Tax Cuts, which enhanced commodity programs, expanded access to affordable crop insurance and strengthened farm safety net programs. Producers will begin seeing the benefits of those updates this fall.

The proposal also includes significant investments to support rural communities by expanding access to reliable drinking water, broadband connectivity, healthcare services and affordable childcare while strengthening local economies and improving quality of life across rural America.

"Our plan is built for the farmers who take risk. We increase USDA's loan limits so farmers can access the capital necessary to maintain and grow their operations. The current caps simply fail to reflect current economic conditions. This bipartisan provision is not optional, it is essential to ensuring producers have the financing they need at a critical time for American agriculture," Boozman said.

Among its key provisions, the discussion draft:

• Builds upon the Working Families Tax Cuts farm safety net investments by further improving existing commodity, dairy, standing disaster and crop insurance programs while expanding opportunities tailored to the unique needs of specialty crop producers.
• Modernizes farm loan programs to provide the next generation with the capital and tools necessary to keep American agriculture strong and competitive on a global scale.?
• Streamlines and strengthens conservation programs while creating two new broadly popular initiatives: the Forest Conservation Easement Program and the State Conservation Assistance Program.
• Improves access to USDA Rural Development programs and private capital so rural communities can strengthen critical utility and community infrastructure to provide vital services including healthcare, education, childcare and workforce development.
• Invests in agricultural research and innovation to improve U.S. competitiveness and close the gap with foreign competitors.
• Responds to rising fertilizer costs and bolsters protections against foreign adversaries seeking to exploit America's agricultural industry.
• Promotes commonsense changes for the U.S. Forest Service to implement critical forest health management projects through streamlined environmental reviews and enhanced partnerships.

Boozman stressed that the proposal was crafted to attract bipartisan support in the Senate needed for passage. "This discussion draft is a strong foundation on which to build as we continue conversations to strengthen American agriculture and secure a brighter future for family farmers."

Learn more about the discussion draft here.