Thompson Promises Farm Bill Vote This Month

Agriculture (USDA)Aviation Fuel/Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)BioChemicals/Renewable Chemicals BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production Federal Agency/Executive Branch Federal Legislation Forest Service Funding/Financing/Investing Government Resources grants Opinions Policy Resources

February 05, 2026

Print This Article Share it With Friends

by Marc Heller (Politico Pro E&E Daily) House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson said he'll try to end a nearly three-year delay in updating agriculture policies. -- House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson pledged Wednesday (February 4, 2026) to complete a five-year farm bill in committee by the end of February, as lawmakers try to bridge political divides that have stalled the legislation.

Thompson (R-Pa.) told state agriculture officials at a policy conference in Washington that finishing the bill — extended more than once since the 2018 farm bill expired in September 2023 — is his top priority.

Final passage of a farm bill, though, will require the Senate to follow suit, and leaders there haven’t give a firm indication of timing.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, later told the group that Democrats and Republicans are working together to craft a bill even amid partisan "headwinds" in Congress.

Some of the biggest farm bill programs — including conservation, price supports and nutrition programs — were addressed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Republicans pushed through in budget reconciliation last year, over Democratic objections. READ MORE

Related articles

House Agriculture eyes late February for farm bill markup: Committee Republicans ambitiously hope to get a floor vote bill by April. (Poltico Pro E&E News)
House Ag Chair Signals February Farm Bill Push as Republicans Target Easter Deadline (Hoosier Ag Today)
Daybreak Feb. 12: E15 won’t make it into farm bill (Agri-Pulse)
House Ag Committee releases Farm Bill draft with bioenergy, biofuel provisions (Biomass Magazine)
Senate Ag also planning to mark up farm bill (Agri-Pulse)
EQIP would lose some near-term funding under GOP farm bill (Agri-Pulse)
Hoeven: Senate farm bill will likely align with House, plus E15 (Agri-Pulse)
House Ag Committee Starts Farm Bill Mark Up (AgWeb)
Democrats to test Republicans by pushing year-round E15 farm bill amendment (Agri-Pulse)
Farm bill faces uphill climb with mid-year politics in play (Agri-Pulse)
House Agriculture Committee advances 2026 Farm Bill (Ohio Country Journal)
House Panel Advances Bipartisan Farm Bill After Marathon Markup Session (The Well News)
House farm bill advances with bipartisan support, 34-17 vote (Farm Progress)
Committee approves farm bill after spat on pesticide liability (E&E Daily)
Trump’s trade war has hurt farmers. There are new warning signs for Republicans. GOP lawmakers from rural areas are pressing for more action to counteract the agriculture industry’s increasingly pessimistic outlook. (Politico)
Thompson's farm bill draft takes aim at Prop 12, skips E15 (Farm Progress)
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (U.S. House Agriculture Committee)
E15 Still Struggling in Congress (Energy.AgWired.com; includes AUDIO)
Ethanol Growth Boosts Corn Demand and Rural Jobs — So Why Is E15 Missing from the Farm Bill? Corn demand is rising thanks to ethanol expansion, yet year-round E15 remains missing from the Farm Bill—leaving farmers questioning the policy gap. Ethanol Expansion Strengthens Corn Demand and Rural Economies (RFD TV; includes VIDEOs)
Corn Growers: We Want Markets, Not Government Checks (RFD TV; Scroll down, includes VIDEO)

Excerpt from Hoosier Ag Today: While the formal text of his Farm Bill has yet to be introduced, it will likely have the same priorities as the version that advanced out of committee in 2024 but never became law.

“Committee staff is still waiting for the cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, which could delay the markup in February,” Politico said.

Two people who were granted anonymity to discuss private details said that House Ag Republicans want to get a floor vote on the Farm Bill before the Easter recess.

The ‘Farm Bill 2.0,’ as Thompson refers to it, will address multiple industry priorities like rural development, research plans, and could be a vehicle for year-round E-15. READ MORE

Excerpt from Agri-Pulse: There’s no sign of a deal on year-round E15 ahead of Sunday’s self-imposed deadline for House Republicans. But Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson tells Agri-Pulse that E15 won’t be included in the upcoming farm bill, even if GOP lawmakers can agree on a deal in time. READ MORE

Excerpt from Biomass Magazine: The House Committee on Agriculture on Feb. 13 released a draft Farm Bill that includes provisions that aim to expand the use of biochar and encourage growth and innovation in the biofuel, bioproducts and bioenergy industries.

The legislation, formally tilted the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, spans more than 800 pages and includes language addressing a wide range of issues, including energy, forestry, nutrition and conservation. A full committee mark-up of the bill is scheduled for Feb. 23.

The Farm Bill is an omnibus, multiyear law that governs a wide array of agricultural and food programs.

...

The development of a new Farm Bill, however, has faced several delays. Lawmakers released draft legislation in 2024 but failed to pass a new Farm Bill. Rather, congress has passed a series of short-term extensions, with the 2018 Farm Bill now set to expire on Sept. 30, 2026.

The Energy Title of the newly released Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 includes various provisions that aim to encourage growth and innovation in the biorefining and bioenergy sectors.

...

One provision of the Energy Title increases the maximum loan guarantee for the Rural Energy for America Program to $50 million and requires the USDA to consider the potential improvements to the financial condition of a REAP applicant when scoring applications.

The legislation also includes language aimed at updating the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical and Biobased Product Manufacturing Program, which provides loan guarantees to support the development, construction and retrofitting of new and emerging advanced biofuel, renewable chemical and biobased products technologies. The draft legislation would reauthorize the program and expand eligibility for innovative biobased product manufacturing technologies and authorize the USDA to waive the requirement to demonstrate commercial viability for projects adopting commercially available technologies. The bill also aims to update the loan guarantee program’s application process by establishing a technology review agreement that outlines the specific objectives, outcomes and conditions by which the agency will determine a project is technically feasible.

For sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the draft bill includes language affirming SAF as an advanced biofuel. It also calls on the USDA to establish an agency-wide strategy to advance the production of SAF by facilitating the collaboration between relevant USDA mission areas to encourage the advancement of the SAF supply chain, including utilization of agricultural crops growth for SAF production. The bill also directs USDA to identify opportunities to maximize SAF development, deployment and commercialization; leverage the capabilities of U.S. farmers, ranchers, foresters and producers to capture opportunities in the SAF market; support rural economic development through SAF production; and promote public-private partnerships for the development, deployment and commercialization of SAF.

The legislation also aims to reauthorize and improve the BioPreferred Program by requiring the USDA to issue procurement guidance to federal agencies, implement more thorough reporting procedures for agency procurement and increasing procurement accountability and verification. In addition, the draft bill reauthorizes the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and the Feedstock Flexibility Program and maintains authority for and investments in the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.

Also under the Energy Title, the bill directs relevant agencies to develop NAICS and NAPCS codes, establish a report to recommend bioeconomy-related changes for the 2027 NAICS and NAPCS codes revisions and assess the development of a national measurement of the economic contributions of the bioeconomy. It also provides the USDA with the authority to establish uniform labeling standards for bioproducts.

The legislation would repeal the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program and the Carbon Utilization and Biogas Education Program.

Biochar is addressed under both the Forestry Title and Research, Extension and Related Matters Title of the bill. One provision under the Research, Extension and related Matters Title aims to develop a Biochar Research Initiative in line with language included in the Biochar Research Network Act of 2025.

Under the Forestry Title, the bill authorizes a biochar application demonstration project to facilitate the use of biochar, develop new biochar applications and support the commercialization of biochar.

The Forestry Title also includes language that aims to reauthorize, rename and enhance the U.S. Forestry Service’s Community Wood Facilities Grant Program by increasing the maximum grant for a project, the maximum capacity of a community facility energy system, and the federal cost-share. In addition, the legislation would reauthorize and modernize the Wood Innovation Grant Program by reducing the non-federal match and authorizing grants for hauling hazardous fuels reduction materials to locations that can utilize it.

Additional information, including a full copy of the draft Farm Bill, is available on the House Committee on Agriculture website. READ MORE

Excerpt from Agri-Pulse: The Senate Agriculture Committee will take up a farm bill of its own in the coming months, with the timing depending in part on how debate over a House version proceeds next week, Chairman John Boozman tells Agri-Pulse. READ MORE

Excerpt from Agri-Pulse: The highly popular Environmental Quality Incentives Program would lose around $1 billion in budget authority over the next four fiscal years under the House Agriculture Committee's GOP farm bill draft, according to calculations by the Congressional Budget Office. EQIP was essentially used as a funding source for other priorities in the legislation. READ MORE

Excerpt from Agri-Pulse: Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Monday that a Senate farm bill will likely align closely with the recently introduced House version, but could also feature language to authorize year-round sales of E15.

...

Thompson’s farm bill text does not currently feature language on E15. READ MORE

Excerpt from AgWeb: Why is a long-term farm bill even needed with the provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill? Industry leaders explain their views on the issue.

The push to get a five-year farm bill has been renewed in the House Ag Committee as Chairman G.T. Thompson released language and mark up began on Tuesday.

One Big Beautiful Bill Omits Farm Bill Titles

While some question why a new long term farm bill is needed, a cross section of the nation’s farm groups explain the bill did not cover all the titles normal included in a long-term farm bill.

“We had a lot of the provisions of the farm bill that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill — the increase in reference prices, some changes and improvements to crop insurance, etc. But there’s still some really important aspects of the farm bill that need to be passed,” says Steve Censky, chief executive officer of the American Soybean Association.

Sam Kieffer, chief executive officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, points out the One Big Beautiful Bill did not touch the conservation title or reauthorize programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Nor did the legislation deal with credit or expand farm loan limits.

“It is time to give our folks some certainty when it comes to conservation programs, when it comes to credit. The cost of doing business is drastically different than it was in 2018. And the 2018 Farm Bill was based off of data from three, four years prior. So, we want to make sure that we improve the credit section of of the farm bill, get that finished,” Kieffer says.

Farm Safety Net Needed

Kieffer adds a farm bill is also needed to provide certainty to farmers and offer a farm safety net in times of negative margins.

“There’s three years of market loss that our growers are struggling with at the moment, and they’re making hard decisions. Some of them are reducing acres, some of them are letting land go and there’s a price to be paid for that as well,” Kieffer says.

...

Senate Preparing for Farm Bill Mark Up

While the Senate Agriculture Committee has not released farm bill language or scheduled a mark-up, chairman John Boozman told Agri-Pulse his committee will take up a farm bill of its own in the coming months. Timing will be dependent in part on how debate over a House version proceeds.

Will Congress Pass a Farm Bill?

Still there’s uncertainty about the appetite for passage of a farm bill in Congress according to Tim Lust, chief executive officer of National Sorghum Producers.

“A lot of these details honestly have been negotiated for a year or two, and it’s maybe little tweaks to them, but a lot of the main things haven’t really changed. It’s a matter of how do we get that across the finish line and find a way to get it signed into law?” he says. READ MORE

Excerpt from Farm Progress: Seven Democrats joined Republicans to pass the Farm, Food and National Security Act through committee, moving it closer to a full House floor vote.

After two days of debate, the House Agriculture Committee approved a Republican authored farm bill by a margin of 34-17. Seven Democrats joined all GOP committee members to advance the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, which will now be considered by the full House. Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., said he was proud of the bill and the work put in to improving it over the last two days.

...

The seven Democrats who voted with Republicans included:

Jim Costa of California
Sharice Davids of Kansas
Don Davis of North Carolina
Adam Gray of California
Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan,
Josh Riley of New York
Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico

Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., remained solidly opposed to the bill. In her opening remarks, Craig criticized Republicans for, among other things, continuing food assistance cuts and not opposing the Trump administration’s tariff policies that the Supreme Court recently deemed illegal.

Toward the end of the marathon markup session, Craig lamented Republicans’ decision last year to bypass the traditional farm bill coalition and pass farm program funding through President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” while also cutting Title 4 nutrition funding. According to her, Democrats would have backed the additional support for farm programs.

“Republicans picked the winners for new investment in the ‘big ugly bill’ and decimated Title 4 outside of regular order,” Craig said. “Now, they are refusing to invest new money in many farm programs that have stagnated after nearly a decade of inflation. This bill delivers what no one is asking for: the status quo.”

Ag groups respond

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duval applauded committee members for recognizing a new farm bill is “critical” as farmers face “headwinds not seen in a generation.” He said the bill has a “ripple effect” across the country by supporting farmers.

...

Now that the Ag Committee has advanced the legislation, it will advance to a vote before the full House of Representatives. Chairman Thompson has indicated he’s spoken to House Speaker Mike Johnson about setting aside time to consider the full bill. As of early this morning, that time has yet to be announced.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman recently indicated he will introduce his own farm bill proposal in the coming months. That proposal will reportedly include language to legalize year-round E15 sales.

If the Senate and House manage to pass farm bills, the two chambers will negotiate a final bill to approve and pass on to the president. Whether or not that will happen any time soon remains the big unanswered question for farmers. READ MORE

Excerpt from Ohio Country Journal: The full text for the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 can be found at https://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill/. READ MORE