Farm Bill | IATP

One step forward, two steps back for conservation

IRA freeze and DOGE cuts limit farmer access to popular conservation programs. The on-farm conservation programs EQIP and CSP provide vital support for farmers to increase resilience and improve environmental outcomes on their farms. But following federal cuts to USDA funding and staffing, program acceptance rates dropped off steeply in fiscal year 2025. Learn more in our latest report.

This status quo Farm Bill does not meet the moment we’re in

As its written, the House Farm Bill set to go to vote this week helps broken programs limp along while ignoring glaring issues facing farmers today. On issue after issue — crop insurance, unfair corporate practices, conservation funding, climate resilience — this Farm Bill falls short.

The New Farm Bill: In the face of farm crisis, this bill offers status quo and empty promises

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has released the following statement from Michael Happ, Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities, in response to the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, House Agriculture Committee Republ

Farmer bailout package is a quick fix that fails to address systemic issues

MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration announced a $12 billion farmer bailout package today, created to soften the blow of diminished export markets due to the administration’s own chaotic trade policies.

Beyond soybeans and China, the U.S. farm economy is broken

The plight of U.S. soybean farmers and lost exports to China has splashed across headlines this fall. Trump administration trade chaos has exposed deeper problems with an export-focused agriculture economy.

Q&A: What's next for the Farm Bill?

On top of trade turmoil and a U.S. government shutdown, Congress has still not passed a new Farm Bill, the primary legislation that sets a majority of U.S. food and farm policy and funding. The future of the Farm Bill is still unclear.

As Congress fails to pass a new Farm Bill, its expiration leaves farmers and rural communities in the dark

MINNEAPOLIS—In response to the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill on September 30 — and no new Farm Bill to take its place — the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has issued the following statement from Michael Happ, IATP’s Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities:

Let's Keep the Door Open

After years of underfunding and oversubscription, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) helped thousands more farmers enroll in two federal conservation cost share programs: the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

House budget bill slashes anti-hunger and rural programs to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy

MINNEAPOLIS — The House of Representatives is set to vote on a budget reconciliation bill this week that damages rural economies and livelihoods while cutting taxes for large corporations and the wealthy. The bill, which was shoved through the House Budget Committee on Sunday night, includes massive cuts to programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which a

Hay’s in the field and a storm is brewing: Another year without a new Farm Bill?

You can’t make hay unless the sun is shining. If the Farm Bill is hay, and the sunshine is time left in Congress’s schedule, then the sunshine is waning for a new Farm Bill to be passed before the current bill’s Sept. 30 expiration date.