Now or Never for 2026 Farm Bill, Senate Ag Chairman Says

Agri-Pulse’s Kim Chipman and Grace Miller reported that “it’s now or never for the 2026 farm bill.”

“That’s the urgent warning from Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., as his committee prepares to take up a farm bill (today). The proposed legislation addresses key ag items not updated since Congress last passed a full, five-year farm bill in 2018,” Chipman and Miller reported. “This includes modernizing loans for farmers. ‘Everything now is so much more expensive. We have to increase the amount of loan limits, so they’ll be able to get the financing they need to go forward,’ Boozman told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.”

“The panel’s farm bill text also includes a provision to allow year-round, voluntary sales of higher ethanol-fuel blends, known as E15, and a one-year delay for certain states facing costs related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits,” Chipman and Miller reported. “A postponement of the cost-sharing requirement has been a top issue for Democrats.”

“It remains to be seen if a compromise deal on SNAP, as well as inclusion of E15 and other issues, can draw enough support to advance a farm bill out of the committee this week,” Chipman and Miller reported. “The absence of panel member Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who hasn’t been working due to health issues, means at least one Democrat needs to vote with all Republican members.”

AgWeb’s Haley Bickelhaupt reported that “Boozman says if the bill does not move forward on Thursday, it will be ‘very, very difficult’ to get a Farm Bill passed this year.”

“Despite his lack of confidence in Democratic support for the current SNAP language, the chairman remains confident the bill will have bipartisan support,” Bickelhaupt reported. “‘I’ve been working on this for years, and if we continue to have the goalpost moved, we won’t have a Farm Bill,’ Boozman said. The chairman says if the legislation is passed out of committee, the odds of a Farm Bill becoming law are ‘very, very good.'”

Last Minute Changes Seek to Garner Democrat Support

Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported that “Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) has released two updates to his farm bill proposal that could help garner critical support from Democrats ahead of the committee’s markup of the package Thursday.”

“Legislative changes unveiled Wednesday now give states a choice between using their fiscal 2026 or fiscal 2027 error rates for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to determine the share of food aid benefits states will be expected to pay for when a cost-sharing agreement takes effect,” Yarrow reported. “The revised bill also increases funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which will allow USDA to purchase more American-grown food and distribute it to local food banks and families.”

“Boozman’s new additions signal last-minute efforts to garner any Democratic support for the bill,” Yarrow reported. “Boozman needs to win support from at least one Democrat to advance the bill out of committee given Sen. Mitch McConnell’s prolonged absence from the Capitol.”

More than 200 Amendments Expected During Today’s Markup

Agri-Pulse’s Chipman and Miller reported in a different article that “Senate Agriculture Committee members filed a total of over 200 amendments ahead of Thursday’s farm bill markup, signaling a rocky debate ahead as lawmakers prepare to take up the legislation on Thursday.”

Progressive Farmer’s Jake Zajkowski reported that “among the amendments already filed are mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL), offered by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.; Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa’s Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act; and a proposal to codify the rescinded Packers and Stockyards Act rules affecting poultry,” Zajkowski reported. “Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., plans to pursue amendments on farm payment reforms, including changes to the definition of ‘actively engaged in farming,’ a $310,000 payment limit per farming operation and the removal of double payments for spouses — a longtime point of advocacy for Grassley.”

Little scoop from this morning: Sen. Fetterman, who was previously expected to be a potential swing vote, opposes the E15 language in the farm bill

he has an amendment to strip E15 out & also has expressed concerns privately about Boozman’s SNAP plan https://t.co/yJNnEBmSP2

— Grace Yarrow (@YarrowGrace) August 5, 2026

“Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., also have amendments to restore $2 billion in conservation funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP),” Zajkowski reported. “Additional proposals seek to increase transparency in fertilizer, seed and fuel pricing, and reorganize USDA’s crop input economics responsibilities among many not publicly released or known to DTN.”

Democrat Support Remains Uncertain

But Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported in a different article that “Senate Agriculture ranking member Amy Klobuchar is indicating that she will oppose the GOP-led farm bill during a Thursday markup, standing firm on Democrats’ top demand and likely scuttling chances of the package advancing, according to three people familiar with her thinking.”

“The Minnesota Democrat said in a statement to POLITICO that Democrats are still demanding a two-year delay to the implementation of a requirement that states pay for part of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits,” Yarrow reported. “Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) has offered a one-year delay in hopes of attracting Democrats’ support.”

Politico’s Rachel Shin reported earlier this week that “Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) launched the first salvo against Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman’s (R-Ark.) farm bill, rallying his party against the legislation despite its inclusion of a food aid compromise,” Shin reported. “‘The Republican Farm Bill released on Friday fails to meet the moment of crisis facing America’s farmers and families,’ Booker told MA in a statement. ‘Democrats should remain united and only support a Farm Bill that includes a clean two-year delay of the SNAP cost shift to states.'”