House advances 2026 Farm Bill, offering progress for farmers
April 30, 2026 | Kriss Nelson
The Iowa Soybean Association applauds Chairman “GT” Thompson and the House of Representatives for passing the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026. The five-year farm bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 224-200.
Tom Adam, ISA president, says getting the farm bill passed through the House of Representatives is a welcome step for farmers.
“I’m quite pleased they were able to move the farm bill forward in the House after such a long process,” Adam says.
Program highlights
Adams points to conservation and food aid programs as highlights within the legislation.
“I’m particularly pleased to see funding for conservation,” he says.
Adam also notes the importance of continued support for Food for Peace programs, which help build demand in developing nations.
“That’s a big part of developing new markets for U.S. soy,” he says.
The bill provisions include a transfer of Food for Peace authority to the USDA, conservation program funding, the Plant Biostimulant Act, increased credit programs, funding for precision agriculture, reauthorization of the Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program, and the Biorefinery Assistance Program, and addresses federal issues caused by state-level animal welfare initiatives.
“At a time when U.S. soybean farmers need certainty more than ever, the 2026 Farm Bill offers a myriad of tools and programs to help the agricultural industry navigate changing market dynamics and ongoing farm production and economic challenges,” says Scott Metzer, American Soybean Association president and soybean farmer from Ohio.
Missed opportunity
However, one amendment stripped the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act language from the farm bill, which would have provided language related to pesticide labeling consistency.
“Having more consistency in labeling could help support the availability and long-term use of certain crop protection tools,” he says. “That would have been very helpful in maintaining some of the chemistries we rely on.”
Though the House passage marks a major milestone in advancing a full, 5-year farm bill, efforts continue. The Senate is expected to take up farm bill revisions in June.
Written by Kriss Nelson.
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