The American Farm Bureau Federation welcomed the release of Senate farm bill text and a scheduled markup by the Senate Agriculture Committee, calling it an important step toward advancing long-delayed legislation affecting U.S. agriculture. Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall praised Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman for releasing the legislation and expressed optimism that lawmakers can build bipartisan support to move the bill through Congress. He also cited support from the administration for advancing the measure. According to Farm Bureau, the bill contains provisions to authorize year-round sales of E15 blended fuel, increase investments in specialty crops and address agricultural input price volatility. The organization also urged Congress to address interstate commerce issues and provide additional economic assistance for farmers. Duvall said the nation has lost 200,000 farms over the past decade and argued that a modernized farm bill would help stabilize the struggling farm economy. He called on the committee to approve the measure and send it to the full Senate for consideration.
Environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth is urging senators to reject the latest Senate Republican Farm Bill proposal, arguing it favors large-scale commodity agriculture while doing too little to support nutrition programs, conservation efforts and smaller farms. The group objected to a provision that would allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline, saying expanded ethanol production would increase demand for corn and encourage more pesticide-intensive farming practices. Friends of the Earth contends the proposal would benefit major commodity producers and ethanol companies while making it harder for growers of fruits, vegetables and organic crops to compete. The organization also criticized reductions in conservation funding and said the measure fails to restore cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill. In a statement, Kari Hamerschlag, deputy director of food and agriculture at Friends of the Earth U.S., said Congress should invest more in diversified farming systems, local food infrastructure, conservation and healthy food access rather than expanding support for corn ethanol.
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