U.S. farm bill drops, outlines 5-year funding

(The Center Square) – The U.S. House Agriculture Committee dropped the text of the U.S. farm bill Friday, an 802-page package authorizing various nutrition, rural development and farm support programs.

The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 renews and enhances crop insurance and price support, disaster assistance, risk management programs, operation and marketing loans, and federal agricultural research.

It also outlines investments in rural broadband connectivity, forest management, water infrastructure, and hospital assistance, as well as the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., called the bill, still in draft form, “long overdue” and said the committee will begin marking it up Feb. 23.

“This bill provides modern policies for modern challenges and is shaped by years of listening to the needs of farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans,” Thompson said in a statement. “The farm bill aff...