House Ag Committee Releases New Farm Bill, Markup Set for Feb. 23

Agri-Pulse’s Kim Chipman, Noah Wicks, Oliver Ward, Lydia Johnson, and Steve Davies reported that “the House Agriculture Committee unveiled a draft farm bill Friday that would revamp a key international food aid program, boost risk management options for specialty crop growers and nullify California’s controversial Proposition 12 standards for animal welfare.”

“The Republican-led panel aims to take up the legislation Feb. 23 and advance it out of committee by Feb. 25,” Chipman, Wicks, Ward, Johnson and Davies reported. “The measure, which House Ag Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson has referred to as ‘farm bill 2.0,’ tackles provisions not passed and signed into law last year as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed under budget reconciliation rules that limit what kind of provisions can be included.”

“‘This bill provides modern policies for modern challenges and is shaped by years of listening to the needs of farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans,’ Thompson said in a statement,” according to Agri-Pulse’s reporting. “‘The farm bill affects our entire country, regardless of whether you live on a farm, and I look forward to seeing my colleagues in Congress work together to get this critical legislation across the finish line.'”

Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton and Jerry Hagstrom reported that “among provisions released by the House Agriculture Committee GOP staff, the bill expands disaster programs such as the Tree Assistance program involving orchards and includes plant pests under the definition of ‘natural disaster.’ The bill also creates a framework for USDA to provide disaster aid to specialty crops that will be consistent across administrations. The bill also would create standing authority to provide ad-hoc disaster aid through block grants to states.”

“Addressing problems from last fall’s government shutdown, the bill includes a provision that would ensure farmers are able to access Marketing Assistance Loans (MALs) even if there is a lapse in funding,” Clayton and Hagstrom reported. “…In the credit title, the bill would increase loan limits for guaranteed operating loans to $3 million and guaranteed ownership loans to $3.5 million. Direct ownership loans would be increased to $850,000, while direct operating loans would be increased to $750,000. The bill also includes provisions meant to speed up approval times, especially for certified and preferred guaranteed lenders.”

The full text of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 is out. Visit our website to see how this critical legislation affects you and your community. https://t.co/TtXcjTNc4Y pic.twitter.com/wCfoQR478q

— House Committee on Agriculture (@HouseAgGOP) February 13, 2026

“Among many other provisions, the bill reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program and keeps the cap on acres at 27 million (and) transfers the Food for Peace international food aid program from the U.S. Agency for International Development to the Agriculture Department and reserves 50% of the resources in the program for the purchase and shipping of U.S. food,” Clayton and Hagstrom reported.

Farm Progress’ Joshua Baethge reported that “the farm bill proposal also includes language to eliminate state laws like California’s Proposition 12. That voter-approved legislation imposed stricter housing requirements for pigs, poultry and other animals. It has been controversial for years since it essentially requires other states to adhere to California law in order to access that state’s large market.”

“Notably missing from Thompson’s bill was much hoped for legislation allowing year-round E15 sales,” Baethge reported. “Less than three weeks ago, President Trump all but promised an Iowa audience year-round sales were imminent.”

E&E News’ Marc Heller reported that “research programs, left out of the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, would see a modest boost in Thompson’s proposal. The bill says little about climate change, despite the growing impact on farming throughout the country. But climate action is implied through the research title, which would put new emphasis on soil health, the effects of drought and flooding, and on biochar — the partly burned forest byproduct that enriches the soil and sequesters carbon.”

Pesticide Protection Language Included

The Hill’s Rachel Frazin reported that “Republicans are using the farm bill to take another swing at passing legislation to protect pesticides, something sure to anger their allies in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement.”

“A House Republican iteration of the farm bill released on Friday includes a provision that prevents states and courts from penalizing pesticide makers for failing to include warnings on their label about health effects that go beyond those formally recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” Frazin reported. “Proponents of such measures say they prevent companies from having to comply with a hodgepodge of rules that could differ from place to place.”

“However, opponents of such language argue that it could be used to tamp down on failure-to-warn lawsuits that seek to hold pesticide companies accountable for not disclosing alleged harms of their products,” Frazin reported. “Similar language was ultimately removed from an EPA appropriations package earlier this year amid pushback from Democrats and MAHA-aligned Republicans.”

House Ag Democrat Leader Speaks Against Bill

Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported before the bill text was released that “the House Agriculture Committee’s top Democrat said it will be ‘very difficult, if not impossible’ for her to back a GOP-led farm bill because it contains ‘poison pills’ and doesn’t do enough to aid struggling farmers.”

“Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) said Republicans plan to include a provision that would protect pesticide manufacturers and complained that GOP committee staff have ‘refused’ to share the text with minority members,” Yarrow reported. “‘This is not good faith negotiation in my mind, and that’s the message that I’ve given to my members as we go into this markup,’ Craig said.”

The Republican farm bill fails to meet the moment facing farmers and working people by ignoring their biggest challenges: inflationary tariffs, unstable trade relationships and rising costs.

Read Ranking Member @RepAngieCraig ‘s statement: https://t.co/NH9ZCH8fry

— House Agriculture Committee Democrats (@HouseAgDems) February 13, 2026

“Democrats for months have been wary of participating in farm bill negotiations after Republicans used their megalaw to pass major spending on their favored farm bill provisions — at the expense of food aid funding,” Yarrow reported. “Given their slim majority, Republicans will likely need a handful of Democrats to back the bill, as some fiscal conservatives typically vote against the package’s farm subsidies.”

Clayton and Hagstrom reported that “Thompson has said the bill contains several provisions written by Democrats, but a Democratic analysis of the bill showed that of the 274 provisions that Democrats submitted to the Republican majority, 28 were accepted, for a 90% rejection rate.”