Farm Bill

Senate passes bill to avert shutdown, delay hemp ban as midterms loom

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 15:50:01 -0400

The Senate has passed a stopgap measure to keep the government funded until Dec. 11, a move aimed at averting a government shutdown just weeks ahead of high-stake midterm elections. The spending bill also would delay a ban on certain hemp-related products by about a month.

Boozman eyes mid-September farm bill vote, urges farmers to speak out

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:32:53 -0400

Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., intends to hold a new vote on his panel's farm bill draft in mid-September, and is calling on farmers from around the country to speak out on the need for passage.

Daybreak August 7: Farm bill paused in committee

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:29:44 -0400

The Senate Ag Committee’s failure to advance a farm bill comes as senators are scrambling to address multiple priorities in order to begin a five-week break from Washington. McConnell has been discharged from rehabilitation and will spend the August recess completing “an intensive regimen of physical therapy,” he said in a statement Thursday.

Stalled farm bill spotlights ag woes and state budget strain

grace@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:00:52 -0400

The Senate farm bill is stalled, putting a spotlight on both economically strained crop growers and states.

Food for Peace, fertilizer measures added to Senate Ag farm bill

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:50:52 -0400

Food for Peace, a definition of specialty crops, hot rotisserie chicken and more are the focus of bipartisan amendments approved during the Senate Ag Committee's farm bill markup.

Senate Ag Committee at odds over SNAP with farm bill at stake

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:39:07 -0400

The Senate Ag Committee farm bill is in danger of stalling due to partisan sparring over SNAP.

Daybreak Aug. 6: Farm bill amendments roll in

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:53:17 -0400

Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., says the upcoming vote on his committee’s proposed farm bill will show who is really committed to helping America’s farmers. More than 200 mayors are urging Senate Ag Committee leaders to delay the SNAP cost-shift onto states, warning that cities are already strained by rising food insecurity.

Klobuchar says farm bill SNAP proposal falls short

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:25:02 -0400

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, top Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee who is also running for governor of Minnesota, says the GOP-led panel's SNAP measure in a draft farm bill falls short.

Daybreak August 5: Sell eyes ag panel

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:52:29 -0400

Tom Sell, founder and manager of lobbying firm Combest, Sell & Associates and the Republican candidate for Texas’s 19th congressional district, says he hopes to serve on the agriculture and budget committees if elected to Congress in November. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should broaden its cyclosporiasis interviews beyond just food exposures and include questions about drinking water, septic systems, recent camping trips, and interactions with soil or waste, the International Fresh Produce Association says in public comments submitted to the agency.

Key provision in SNAP delay plan may need adjustment: Boozman

grace@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:47:10 -0400

Senate Agriculture Republicans are evaluating whether the one-year SNAP cost-shift delay in payments from the revised farm bill text “needs to be adjusted,” Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., told Agri-Pulse on Tuesday.

Daybreak August 4: Michigan primary is one to watch

noah@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:30:23 -0400

The 2026 midterm primaries are in their final stretch, with Michigan’s Senate race emerging as a big one to watch tonight. Senate Democrats say the revised farm bill’s one-year delay in shifting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program costs isn’t sufficient, signaling they’ll push amendments at Thursday’s markup to extend the pause.

API rejects E15 in Senate farm bill; Farm Bureau urges passage

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:10:21 -0400

The American Petroleum Institute is rejecting new E15 language added to a draft farm bill from the Senate Agriculture Committee, while ag groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation are urging Congress to pass the legislation.

Daybreak August 3: Senate poised for farm bill and CR

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:25:44 -0400

Senate Majority Leader John Thune this week will move to stave off a potential government shutdown in October. The Senate’s latest draft farm bill also seeks to boost cybersecurity protections for electronic benefit transfer cards under SNAP.

Washington Week Ahead: E15, SNAP in spotlight with farm bill markup

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 17:03:19 -0400

The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider a freshly revised farm bill this week with big potential impacts for corn biofuel demand and state budgets. Along with working to advance a farm bill, Senate leaders this week will seek to fully pass a stopgap funding measure, or continuing resolution (CR), to avert a government shutdown.

New Senate farm bill includes SNAP cost delays, year-round E15

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:35:48 -0400

The Senate Agriculture Committee unveiled revised farm bill text that would allow year-round access to higher ethanol-fuel blends at U.S. gasoline pumps and extend by one year the time that certain states would have to start sharing the cost of providing SNAP benefits.

Daybreak July 31: E15 expected to be in farm bill

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:39:51 -0400

The Senate Agriculture Committee is planning to add an E15 measure to the proposed farm bill that Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., seeks to advance through his panel by the end of next week, people familiar with the matter say. Marcos Carias, an economist for Coface for North American trade, tells Agri-Pulse that President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on Canadian dairy, wine and automobiles aren’t a strong enough negotiation tool to force Canada to open its dairy tariff-rate-quota to U.S. producers.

Boozman hopeful about SNAP deal before Aug. 6 farm bill markup

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:58:36 -0400

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman says talks continue on a possible one- or two-year delay of new SNAP costs faced by certain states.

New Senate farm bill text is said to include year-round E15

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:45:09 -0400

A revised farm bill proposal from the Senate Ag Committee will include a provision for year-round, voluntary sales of E15, a higher ethanol-fuel blend than standard mixes at U.S. gasoline pumps. Fresh legislative text is expected to be released as soon as Thursday, July 30.

Daybreak July 30: Doubts raised on bipartisan farm bill

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:16:51 -0400

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is casting doubt on the prospects of passing a five-year bipartisan farm bill. Advocates of uniform food ingredient review, use and labeling requirements are urging House and Senate leaders to establish a single national standard as the list of state-enacted labeling restrictions grows.

Daybreak July 29: USDA clarifies wetlands rule

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:24:07 -0400

Farmers can rely on wetland determinations issued as far back as 1990 under a USDA rule taking effect Wednesday, ending more than two years of legal uncertainty for producers planning drainage or land clearing. Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., said on Tuesday the committee will “hopefully” hold a farm bill markup next Thursday.

Forage crunch fuels push to make CRP acres easier to graze

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:15:00 -0400

Scarcities in available forage land are pushing some cattle groups to look for ways to make existing Conservation Reserve Program acres easier for producers to graze, a shift that could give ranchers room to expand a historically small cattle herd.

Rural food insecurity ranks among nation’s highest, Feeding America report says

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:14:00 -0400

Rural counties have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the United States, making up 86% of the highest 10% of food insecurity rates, according to Feeding America’s annual "Map the Meal Gap" report released Tuesday.

Thune says $95B reconciliation measure is 'best path' forward

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:14:03 -0400

Senate Majority John Thune says he's embracing a reconciliation plan passed by the House as the best path to pass the SAVE America Act and provide funds for the military and farmers.

McConnell not yet cleared to return to Senate

grace@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:00:21 -0400

Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has released an update saying he is not cleared to return to the Senate and will be unable to make his annual visit to Fancy Farm this Saturday.

Daybreak July 27: Cattle groups cheer border reopening

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:15:12 -0400

Several livestock groups are backing USDA’s decision, announced Friday, to reopen the U.S.-Mexico border, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Meat Institute, and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Democrats are asking Senate Agriculture Committee leaders to add additional protections for America’s specialty crop growers in a proposed farm bill.

Farm groups express differing reactions to farm aid in reconciliation 3.0

olivia@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:56:07 -0400

Farm country appears to be somewhat divided over the $12 billion in farm aid in the House budget measure approved Wednesday.

Boozman sees ag panel advancing farm bill before August break

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:32:32 -0400

Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., is confident on the prospects of his committee advancing a farm bill before August recess.

Washington Week Ahead: Congressional time crunch, trade talks in spotlight

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:34:24 -0400

Farmer financial aid, a voluntary ethanol boost and an overdue farm bill are again in focus as Congress races against a legislative clock with a raft of competing concerns. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are pushing to get more aid for farmers to help sustain them until October, when updated safety-net programs passed by Congress last year take effect.

House GOP fast-tracks reconciliation 3.0 with farm aid, Save America Act

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:46:31 -0400

Republicans aim to fast-track a sweeping spending package that includes key agriculture investments.

Brazil shows why U.S. biofuel markets are critical, Johanns says

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:19:00 -0400

Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary and Senator Mike Johanns discusses the future of American agriculture and farm bills.