Farm Bill Passed Out of House Ag Committee

By Maggie Edwards

The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture passed H.R. 7567 - the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 - out of committee March 4. The legislation passed with bipartisan support receiving a 34-17 vote with seven Democrats supporting.

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., and U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D- Ala., are members of the committee. Moore supported the bill while Figures voted in opposition.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall applauded the bipartisan passage, giving thanks to Committee Chair G.T. Thompson, R-Pa., for his leadership.

"The farm bill has a ripple effect across the country by supporting the farmers who grow the food that stocks every kitchen pantry in America," Duvall said. "We urge House leaders to continue the momentum and bring this important legislation to a vote on the floor.

"Farmers understand there are many competing priorities in our country right now, but so much has changed since Congress last updated the farm bill in 2018," he added. "Agriculture has endured a pandemic, runaway inflation, rising interest rates, and historic supply chain and market disruptions. Costs for fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and labor have surged, and margins have narrowed. The pressure on farm families has intensified so much that we've lost more than 175,000 farms since 2017. That's just heartbreaking.""

The bill's text was released Feb. 13 and builds on a strong foundation of farm-focused provisions passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill last summer. Thompson said this farm bill would address many of the remaining, soon-to-expire provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, including issues related to animal welfare, research and specialty crops.

This bill updates important food and farm programs, enhances conservation efforts, makes critical investments in agricultural research and strengthens America's rural communities.

These critical investments include:

• Expanded access to risk management tools for farmers
• Increased investments in trade promotion and facilitation programs
• Enhanced voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs
• Expanded programs to support specialty crop growers
• Improved access to essential credit and loan programs
• Making permanent the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Program
• Support for rural communities through development initiatives
• Robust research and extension programs to place American agriculture at the forefront of innovation
• Promotion of forest management and health
• Regulatory reform that affirms EPA as the authority on pesticide labels and protects interstate commerce