A highly anticipated farm bill draft is in focus as senators kick off their last full legislative work week before a 10-day recess.
Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., has indicated the legislation will be released before the week’s end. His committee aims to debate and vote on the bill sometime between the second half of July and early August.
The bill isn’t expected to include top controversial issues, like pesticide-labeling rules or efforts to do away with California’s Proposition 12 and other state animal containment laws. Such matters bogged down deliberations in the House, which ultimately passed its version of a farm bill on April 30.
The effort in Congress to fully pass new ag legislation, dubbed by some as “farm bill 2.0,” follows a substantial update of federal agriculture programs in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Those provisions are set to boost ag-focused federal spending by about $65 billion over the next decade.
What’s left to tackle now aren’t big-dollar items, like expansion of farm safety-net programs, but still represent a large number of critical agriculture initiatives, like credit availability, rural energy and animal health and research.
"One of the positive things about farm bill 2.0 is it really puts a focus on the other aspects of the farm bill that sometimes don’t get the attention that they deserve,” said Randy Russell, president and CEO of The Russell Group, a leading bipartisan government relations firm focused on food, agriculture and energy policy.
Some of the upcoming provisions “may not cost money, but are very important to agriculture in rural America,” Russell told Agri-Pulse.
SNAP watch
Congress has been dealing with farm legislation on a piecemeal basis as partisan fights over national food policy have prevented passage of a traditional, five-year farm bill since 2018.
The combination of rural farm programs and urban food initiatives in the same bill originally was a way to draw support of lawmakers from districts and states without a heavy agriculture footprint.
Prospects for a farm bill this year may hinge on the ability of Republicans and Democrats to strike a deal on a requirement that some states must soon start paying a share of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cost, based on their SNAP payment error rates.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, top Democrat on the Ag Committee, is pressing for a delay of the cost shift, saying it needs to be examined for fairness reasons and to avoid potential unintended consequences. Boozman has said the change is needed to fix a broken system.
Separately, a House Oversight subcommittee plans to debate the SNAP issue in a hearing this Thursday.
The House reconvenes after a week-long recess on Tuesday. The chamber plans to consider a bill from Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., that would speed up access to federal disaster relief funds for U.S. agriculture producers. The measure passed the Senate earlier this year.
Global trade
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is in India this week for bilateral trade talks, according to Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The two nations are in the “final stages” of concluding a deal, he said.
An interim agreement reached in February for India to buy $500 billion in American goods over five years, including agricultural products.
In other trade-related developments, the U.S. signaled progress in talks with Iran over the weekend, though uncertainty hung over the status of trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Sunday “great progress” had been made in talks in Switzerland with Iranian officials. Delegations from Pakistan and Qatar are mediating the negotiations at a Swiss resort near Lake Lucerne.
Expectations for a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has led to falling prices for key commodities like petroleum oil and fertilizer, a welcome development for financially squeezed farmers.
U.S. Central Command said commercial ship traffic had increased on Saturday through the critical Mideast trade route, with 55 merchant vessels moving heavy cargo loads, including more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets. Though the Iran military later said the strait had been officially closed due to “ongoing attacks against Lebanon” by Israel.
Even in the best-case scenario, it will take time for disrupted energy and fertilizer markets to recover, The Fertilizer Institute President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch told reporters on Friday.
“Supply chains won't automatically just be flipped back on like a switch,” Rosenbusch said. “Restoring some of these trade flows and repositioning supply chains will take some time.”
It could take months for some plants to come back online, especially for oil and natural gas, according to Rosenbusch. That’s important because sulfur, a key raw material for phosphate fertilizer, is a major byproduct of oil refineries, he said.
‘Great American State Fair’
Back in Washington, President Donald Trump is expected to speak on Wednesday night at a “Great American State Fair” kick-off celebration.
The event timed to the 250th anniversary of America’s founding on July 4 will highlight American history, traditions and people and run June 25-July 10 on Washington’s National Mall. Each day has a different theme. Friday will be focused on agriculture.
Here is a list of agriculture or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EST):
Monday, June 22
The International Dairy Foods Association and University of Wisconsin hold a Leadership Symposium in Madison, Wisconsin, through Thursday.
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture holds a Midwestern regional meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, through Wednesday.
11 a.m. – The Atlantic Council co-hosts a gathering on the future of the Americas, including discussions on trade, energy and conservation, on the sidelines of the Organization of American States General Assembly in Panama City, through Tuesday.
4 p.m. – USDA’s weekly crop progress report.
Tuesday, June 23
The USA Rice Millers’ Association holds its 126th annual convention in Sea Island, Georgia, through Thursday.
The Farm Credit Council holds a Learning Conference in Anaheim, California, through Thursday.
The National Sunflower Association holds a summer seminar in Deadwood, South Dakota, through Thursday.
Primary elections in Maryland, New York and Utah, and runoff races in South Carolina.
9 a.m. – The Peterson Institute for International Economics holds an online discussion, “Geopolitics and global value chains: Implications for trade policy and development in Asia.”
9:30 a.m. – The International Food Policy Research Institute and Agricultural Market Information System hold an online seminar, Weather, Money, and Shifting Bets: What’s Driving Food Commodity Markets?
Wednesday, June 24
The Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas holds its annual convention and tradeshow in San Marcos, Texas, through Friday.
10 a.m. – The House Agriculture Committee holds a hearing to review farm safety net, disaster and conservation programs, 1300 Longworth.
10 a.m. – The Senate Appropriations Committee meets to markup various spending bills, including Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, 106 Dirksen.
10 a.m. – Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Kevin Lilly to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife at the Interior Department, 406 Dirksen.
10:30 a.m. – The House Natural Resources Committee meets to consider the Great American Outdoors Act 250, 1324 Longworth.
1 p.m. – The Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy holds a virtual discussion on
Shaping the Future of Food: Farm Bill 2026 & Conservation Funding.
7 p.m. – President Donald Trump speaks at the formal opening of the 16-day Great American State Fair, the National Mall.
Thursday, June 25
The World Agri-Tech South America Summit in São Paulo, through Friday.
The Institute for the Advancement of Food & Nutrition Sciences holds its Summer Science Symposium at the National Press Club in Washington, through Friday.
8:30 a.m. – USDA weekly export sales.
9 a.m. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa host a launch webinar for the report, The Bank Takes the Lead? Making sense of the World Bank Group’s role supporting livestock projects in the Green Revolution in Africa.
10 a.m. – The House Oversight subcommittee on government efficiency holds a hearing on Combating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in SNAP, 2154 Rayburn.
10 a.m. – The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry holds a hearing to review partnerships to enhance management of the national forest system, 1300 Longworth.
10 a.m. – The Senate Finance Committee meets to consider several nominees to be members of the International Trade Commission, 215 Dirksen.
10 a.m. – The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing, “Implementing an America First Approach in the East Asia and Pacific Region,” with testimony from Michael DeSombre, a top State Department diplomat for East Asia policy, 2172 Rayburn.
Friday, June 26
Land and Prosperity is the theme of the day at the Great American State Fair; the national exposition will honor the U.S. landscape, ranching, agriculture and land stewardship, National Mall.
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