Other Ag News: Release: Farm Bill Extension, USDA Funding Bill Underwhelm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Tel. 347.563.6408

Washington, DC, November 10, 2025 – After weeks of uncertainty, Congress has unveiled a one-year extension of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 as well as the fiscal year (FY) 2026 agriculture appropriations bill, a package that, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) could undermine conservation efforts and limit support for family farmers.

“After weeks of uncertainty, legislation unveiled over the weekend opts to needlessly restrict farmers’ ability to reduce input costs, invest in clean water, and build healthy soil. The FY2026 agriculture appropriations bill cuts nearly $100 million in support for conservation technical assistance, and the proposed farm bill extension fails to extend conservation program payment limits. Taken together, these bills make it harder for a wide variety of family farmers to enhance their productivity and protect natural resources, and bias federal conservation programs towards serving the largest operations first and foremost,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director.

On Sunday, Congress released the text of an extension of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). In lieu of a much-needed five-year farm bill, this one-year extension would continue most farm bill programs unimpeded through at least September 30, 2026. It also suspends permanent price support authority for the 2026 crop and calendar year, ensuring that commodity programs do not revert to outdated 20th century law in the new year. 

The farm bill extension also includes:

• Extension of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), but fails to provide critical funding for the CRP-Transition Incentive Program which will no longer be able to offer incentives for land owners who rent or sell their land to beginning farmers and ranchers who commit to using sustainable grazing practices, resource-conserving cropping systems, or transitioning to organic production.
• Failure to extend payment limits for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), removing any cap on the total cost-share a single operation can receive through EQIP and CSP. Coupled with the removal of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) eligibility requirements in this summer’s reconciliation package, this paves the way for very large operations to consume disproportionate amounts of conservation dollars.

“The FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations Bill released over the weekend brings cuts to critical conservation, urban agriculture, and local and regional food system programs. While the bill manages level funding for many essential programs and avoids harmful riders that would limit USDA from promoting fair market competition for livestock and poultry growers, it nonetheless falls short of delivering meaningful progress,” said Lavender.

Of NSAC’s FY2026 Appropriations Priorities, the bill:

• Maintains level funding for the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education ($48M) program; the Organic Transitions Program ($7.5M); and the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach program
• Cuts funding for Conservation Technical Assistance by nearly $100M to $679.6M; for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production by $2M to $5M; Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative by $2M to $8M; and the Local Agriculture Market Program by slashing Value Added Producer Grants from $11.5M to $8M and Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Grants to $7.3M

Finally, negotiations over the weekend have so far failed to make progress toward ensuring both access to affordable healthcare and timely disbursement of full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. 

In both instances, states have been forced to fill the gaps. Access to critical services – such as reliable internet – can be challenging or even nonexistent in many parts of rural America. Unfortunately, this also extends to access to fresh food and affordable health care. Healthy, thriving farmers, families, and rural communities are a foundational component of a sustainable, just food and farm system – and ensuring that all Americans can access quality, affordable healthcare and nutrition is a critical part of reaching that goal.

For further analysis, stay tuned to NSAC’s blog in the coming days.

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC):

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

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