Rep. Jim Costa speaks during a House Agriculture Committee hearing on May 23, 2024. Photo via House Agriculture Committee flickr page.

A new farm bill is closer to being approved after House Agriculture Committee voted 34-17 to advance it last week, causing celebration from agriculture groups and elected leaders.

The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 will now go to the full House for a vote, and if passed there, it would still need to be passed by the Senate and then signed into law by the president.

This version has a few updates from what was originally proposed. These updates include investments in rural communities, bringing science-backed management back to national forests and restore regulatory certainty in the interstate marketplace.

The bill builds on the ag investments made last summer in H.R. 1—referred to as the Working Families Tax Cuts.

It also expands the Tree Assistance Program to support producers of trees, vines and shrubs, directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a framework for providing support to specialty crop producers during economic peril and promotes active forest management through incentivizing public-private partnerships.

The bill also makes critical investments for horticulture, marketing, regulatory reform, nutrition and research and development for new crop insurance policies.

 Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno), a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, celebrated the advancement of the bill to the House Floor, saying it bolsters the nation’s food security and supports farmers and ranchers.

Shannon Douglass, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, applauded the committee’s passage of the bill, saying the proposed key provisions would modernize farm policy, increase certainty and enhance the competitiveness of California farms and ranches. 

“Farmers and ranchers have been without certainty of a new farm bill since it first expired in 2023, and have been grappling with low commodity prices, rising supply costs, inflation and uncertain international trade dynamics. While there is still more work to be done, passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act would provide California producers with assurance of a full five-year farm bill, thus strengthening America’s rural communities. We urge House leaders to move swiftly and bring H.R. 7567 to a vote on the floor,” Douglas said.

Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, said support from the farm bill is essential to dairy producers to weather challenging times. He cited dairy methane projects as an example.

“We’re encouraged by provisions that empower states to prioritize National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) projects aimed at reducing methane emissions, helping dairy producers continue their leadership in environmental stewardship. Sustained funding to promote U.S. dairy products abroad is equally vital, as it strengthens our global presence while showcasing the impressive sustainability gains made across the U.S. dairy industry,” Doud said.