House Ag Committee
The debate over immigration and ag labor reform has been a political hot potato for decades now and has led to inaction by Congress, but leaders of the House and Senate Ag Committees say they are making it a priority for 2026.
Farmers need to be prepared to pay substantially more for their coverage in 2026, unless Congress acts now to address the impending price surge.
Beef producers are urging Congress to vote yes on Big Beautiful Bill to deliver tax relief and help farmers and ranchers stay in business for generations to come.
The groups are urging the administration to “formally include farmers, ranchers and food producers in a collaborative stakeholder process.” An action report — a follow-up to the MAHA report released in May — is due by August 12.
The Senate and House each have their own Committee proposals for President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. There are some key differences in each that could impact farmers and ranchers.
The CR includes nearly $110 billion in disaster and farmer aid, which includes $10 billion in farmer aid and $21 billion ag disaster aid. $2 billion of that disaster aid is specifically for livestock producers. The measure also includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill.
The House of Representatives released its Continuing Resolution text, which includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, $10 billion in farmer economic aid, $21 billion in ag disaster funding for 2023 and 2024 and year-round E15 sales.
From differences within Title I of the new farm bill to possible ways both the Senate and House Ag Committee are working to find more funds, U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke one-on-one with AgriTalk this week.
The farm bill finally saw some movement in Washington last month, but the Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found most economists don’t think it will be passed this year, with some even saying it could be as late as 2026.
The House Ag Committee on Thursday will mark up the House farm bill. House Ag Chair GT Thompson told AgriTalk the panel will have the votes to clear the panel, but he has yet to receive any firm Democratic support.
House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, along with other members, is seeking additional funding sources for the bill, but that will likely be the biggest farm bill hurdle that may trip up lawmakers.
While Sen. McConnell says the budget has little give, Sen. Boozeman has consistently said he will not support a farm bill that doesn’t provide an increase in the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program’s reference prices.
The Committee on Ag is looking to solve workforce issues with the formation of the Ag Labor Working Group. “Reforms are desperately needed to address this pressing issue,” said Co-Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ar.).
It’s not as simple as you might think. House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson shares a rundown of the funding and extension processes. He says the ag committees need to find new dollars to expand the farm bill budget.
The Senate and House Ag committees are facing delays in drafting the next farm bill, and it is expected to be the most expensive farm bill to date, clocking in at around $1.5 trillion.
Rep. Thompson signaled he wants to hear “commitment from everyone, including the president, that we will get this done and in the manner I’ve been speaking about. Bipartisan, bicameral, on time and highly effective.’”
SNAP, which historically receives the greatest amount of farm bill funding, will see an 82% increase of a quarter-trillion-dollars.
The House will take the reins in writing farm bill 2023. House Ag Chairman Thompson says the pen is “firmly” in his hand, with few tweaks to be made from 2018. The Senate says their version is nearly complete.
Most now look for President Biden to increase his use of executive orders and regulations to fulfill some other goals, including those in the coming farm bill.
House Republicans asked the General Accountability Office to conduct a study on U.S. lands owned by foreign entities. The letter was signed by scores of other House Republicans.
The House Ag Committee passed the Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021 by unanimous vote on Thursday. Supporters say the act would give greater transparency to cattle markets and more leverage to producers.
With the industry divided on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act legislation, perspectives range across regions of the U.S. TCFA president and CEO Ben Weinheimer shares his southern plains viewpoint.
U.S. Senators and Representatives introduce legislation that seeks to return fairness to the cattle marketplace dominated by four major meat packers.
Georgia representative David Scott says he will introduce new legislation specifically targeted to help small beef farmers and ranchers.
The House Ag Committee has requested CEOs from the top five meat packers to testify on April 27. The panel will take “other measures” if the CEOs say they will not attend.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on April 27, 2022, on anti-competitive behavior by the nation’s largest beef packers.
On Tuesday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack rang in on AgriTalk to share agriculture’s angle in the BBB plan with host Chip Flory.