The Farm Bill is set to expire Wednesday for the fourth consecutive year as Congress continues working to move a full five-year farm bill across the finish line.
Northern Ag Network’s Colter Brown and Andy Schwab spoke with Arkansas Senator and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman about the path forward for the legislation and what it could mean for farmers and ranchers.
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its version of the farm bill earlier this month, following an unsuccessful markup in August. The bill, known as Farm Bill 2.0, now heads toward further negotiations with the House as lawmakers work to secure the votes needed for passage.
Boozman said many major farm bill priorities were addressed in 2025 through the Working Families Tax Cuts. Among the changes were updates to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which are expected to result in higher farm safety net payments for producers this fall.
For Montana wheat producers, Boozman said the final PLC payment rate for wheat is $1.29 per bushel. He said the changes could provide an additional $344 million in PLC and ARC payments to Montana wheat producers, with total payments to Montana farmers expected to exceed $363 million.
“It’s gonna make a difference. It’s gonna help,” Boozman said.
The payments are intended to provide support during a period when many producers are struggling to cover operating costs and maintain access to credit.
Farm Bill 2.0
While farmers appreciate the work done through the 2025 budget reconciliation, Boozman said a full farm bill is still needed to update agricultural policy and provide additional tools for producers. The current farm bill was passed in 2018, but many of its underlying provisions rely on data from 2012.
“The world is totally different now than it was in 2012,” Boozman said.
Boozman pointed to higher Farm Service Agency loan limits included in the Senate legislation, saying they would allow producers to borrow amounts that better reflect the costs of purchasing equipment, constructing facilities and financing farm operations.
He also highlighted new insurance products and risk-management tools intended to give farmers and ranchers additional ways to manage financial risk. The Senate bill is roughly 800 pages and includes a range of policy changes affecting agricultural producers.
Country of origin labeling draws bipartisan support
Mandatory country of origin labeling for beef emerged as one of the more bipartisan issues during the Senate Agriculture Committee’s consideration of the bill. Boozman credited Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., with championing the provision.
“It was a big deal,” Boozman said. “You can thank Senator Thune. He championed it and he did a great job.”
The provision would address how consumers are informed about the origin of beef products. Boozman said Thune’s involvement reflected the importance of the issue to producers in agricultural states.
SNAP disagreement remains a major obstacle
One of the largest challenges to passing the bill is reaching the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. Disagreements over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, include proposed changes to state cost-sharing requirements and the timeline for implementing them.
Boozman said he supports delaying the cost-sharing changes for one year to give states additional time to prepare.
“If we’re not careful, we’re not gonna pass a farm bill, and then again our states won’t have that relief,” Boozman said.
He also criticized a 20% error rate in some state SNAP programs, saying he supports helping states adjust to the changes while reducing errors so resources reach those who need them most.
The SNAP debate has complicated efforts to build bipartisan support for the farm bill. Boozman said farmers and ranchers should not be caught in the middle of a dispute over a separate program.
“Farmers have nothing to do with this,” he said. “They haven’t caused this. They’re doing the job. They’re paying their bills right.”
House and Senate bills still must be reconciled
The Senate and House must resolve differences between their respective versions of the farm bill before final passage. The House passed its version earlier this year, while the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its bill in September.
Boozman said he is working with House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, R-Pa., and described the differences between the bills as manageable.
“We’ll work out our differences,” Boozman said. “The differences are not very great at all.”
Boozman said the Senate bill builds on Thompson’s House legislation and that the two committees are meeting regularly to address remaining issues. He also said lawmakers are working with Democrats to secure the bipartisan support needed for passage. Boozman expects the process to gain momentum after the election, during the lame-duck session of Congress.
USDA can manage transition after deadline
The current farm bill extension is set to expire September 30, but Boozman said producers should not expect an immediate disruption. He said the U.S. Department of Agriculture can take administrative steps to keep programs operating through the end of the year while Congress continues negotiations.
That flexibility gives lawmakers additional time, but it does not eliminate the need for Congress to pass a new bill. Producers, lenders and rural communities still need certainty about the programs that will govern the next growing season.
Additional aid could provide a bridge for producers
Boozman said higher ARC and PLC payments will help, but additional assistance may still be needed in farm country. Producers are facing increased diesel and fertilizer costs, while grain prices have struggled to offset those expenses.
Boozman said a number of farmers have experienced losses for several consecutive years.
“You can get by with that for a year, maybe it’s a couple years,” he said. “But now you just can’t be in a situation where after three or four years of losses, you start to pencil it out for this next season and it just doesn’t work.”
Boozman said bridge payments could help producers remain in business while lawmakers work on longer-term solutions, including opening new markets, increasing the value of U.S. agricultural products and improving the overall farm safety net.
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Northern Ag Network
