New in The Conversation: Why 2026 could see the end of the Farm Bill era of American agriculture policy, written by both Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, and Christopher Neubert, Deputy Center Director and Research Associate Professor, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. Excerpted text follows.
With Congress back in session, legislators will take up a set of issues they haven’t comprehensively addressed since 2018 – the year the last farm bill passed. As former federal employees handling agriculture policy who now study that topic, it’s unclear to us whether a comprehensive, five-year farm bill can be passed in 2026, or ever again. Recent funding changes and current divisions in Congress mean the nation’s food and agriculture policy may remain stuck in limbo for yet another year.
By using financial incentives cleverly, Congress has shifted farming practices over time in ways that lawmakers determined were in the public’s interest. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending law cut those funds, but unexpectedly, the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, agenda contains some ideas that climate-smart advocates have previously advanced and could be an opportunity for organic farmers to secure a boost in federal funding. Overall, in this new political environment, we believe advocates for changes in agriculture and food aid will likely need to rethink how to advance their agendas without the promise of a farm bill coming anytime soon.
For more information visit the Swette Center's Work in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures.
