This blog is part of our “Farm Bill Bulletin” series, which provides intermittent updates on the development and status of our nation’s next farm bill.
On Nov. 12, Congress passed another extension of the farm bill alongside a continuing resolution to end the government shutdown. The continuing resolution will fund the federal government through Jan. 20, 2026, while the farm bill extension will last through Sept. 30, 2026.
The extension is the third since the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 originally expired in September 2023. Tensions among lawmakers, as well as events including the 2024 election and passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), have impacted Congress' ability to negotiate on a farm bill. Additionally, OBBBA included significant provisions for crop insurance subsidies and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which traditionally serve as a primary motivator for lawmakers to join the negotiation table.
While not preferable to a new, comprehensive farm bill, the extension provides important reauthorization for programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Unlike the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which were reauthorized through OBBBA, CRP would not have opened for new enrollment without a farm bill extension.
The farm bill extension, however, did not leave CSP and EQIP untouched. The bill fails to extend payment limits for these programs, which means there is no cap on the total amount of cost-share a single operation can receive. This is likely to result in the largest operations receiving a disproportionate amount of federal conservation funds.
Notably, the extension also protects commodity programs from reverting to antiquated permanent law, which would increase the price of commodity goods such as dairy to obsolete price-support levels.
In addition to a farm bill extension, the approved legislation included a “minibus” of three full-year spending bills, including the budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers important programs such as Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) and the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP).
The budget includes a nearly $100 million cut to CTA, which supports USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service staff who work directly with producers to plan and implement conservation practices. The program was cut from $773.5 million to $679.6 million.
Through RMAP, microentrepreneur development organizations receive funding to in turn provide loans and technical assistance to small rural businesses. The budget for RMAP was cut to $4 million for 2026, a $1 million reduction from 2025.
You can find contact information for your members of Congress here. If you would like assistance contacting your U.S. representative or senators to demonstrate your support for rural communities, please email me at [email protected].
