What’s next for the farm bill?

American farmers, ranchers, and the agricultural industry will have to wait until at least September for the U.S. Senate to take up the long-delayed farm bill.

“We’re going to come back in that first week and have another vote on the same bill again,” Senate Agriculture committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., said after the bill failed to advance out of committee. He added that it will be “a miracle” if the bill becomes law before the midterm elections.

Congress is woefully behind on passing a farm bill, which it is supposed to do every five years but has not since 2018.

While the U.S. House passed its version of the legislation months ago, the Senate has lagged behind on its own edition, releasing the bill text just this past week. The chambers must ultimately reconcile the differences to produce a single compromise bill.

Like the House’s version, the Senate’s 983-page Agricultural Act of 2026 renews and enhances crop insurance and price support, disaster assistance, risk management programs, operation and marketing loans, and federal agricultu...