“We applaud Chairman Thompson and the House Agriculture Committee for advancing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which reauthorizes critical farm programs sorghum growers depend on to manage risk and remain competitive,” said National Sorghum Producers Chair Amy France, a farmer from Scott City, Kan. “A strong farm bill is essential to sustaining a vibrant American agricultural economy and strengthening our national security. This legislation provides the certainty farmers need to continue producing a safe, abundant and affordable food, feed and fuel supply for our nation and the world.”
The legislation also builds on recent improvements to commodity programs, expands trade promotion efforts, strengthens crop insurance tools, and supports the development of new bio-based markets. The House Agriculture Committee is expected to begin formal markup later this month.
NSP will continue working closely with lawmakers to ensure the final bill strengthens the farm safety net, expands markets, and delivers long-term stability for sorghum growers.
The American Soybean Association commends the House Agriculture Committee on advancing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
“We appreciate that Chairman Thompson heard the concerns and needs of soybean farmers and addressed them in the bill,” said Scott Metzger, ASA president and a soybean farmer from Ohio. “The provisions included will provide much-needed market and regulatory certainty for producers facing new risks and difficult business decisions.”
Over the past two years, ASA has advocated for strengthening
Strengthening the farm bill is critical for the future of U.S. soybeans, and ASA stands ready to work with lawmakers to advance this legislation and help stabilize today’s challenging farm economy.
- Trampling on states’ rights: Prop. 12 sets a precedent that undermines the foundation of interstate commerce, allowing a single state to dictate how food is produced across the country—even when that food is produced outside its borders. Fixing Prop. 12 protects the rights of states by allowing each the exclusive right to regulate how livestock are produced within their borders.
- In passing Prop. 12, California violated Congress’ exclusive constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce. Congressional action to fix the chaos caused by Prop. 12 is rooted in Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution: “The Congress shall have the power … To regulate commerce … among the several states” (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3).
- Setting the stage for a patchwork of 50 state laws, dictating different versions of animal housing laws, which all producers—no matter the state they farm in— must comply with if they want to sell their pork to all consumers.
- NPPC Vice President and Ohio pork producer Pat Hord, who has retrofitted his barns to be Prop. 12-compliant, has told Congress that compliance does not future-proof farmers from more financial burdens if patchwork laws are not addressed. “Whatever I do today could need to be changed when a new state decides they want a different housing standard,” Hord says. “These are expensive changes, and some farmers may exit the business amid this uncertainty, which increases consolidation.”
- Leading to industry consolidation, potentially crushing small and medium-sized farms: While even large farms cannot sustain ongoing changes to sow housing laws, they are more likely to be able to afford the initial changes mandated by Prop. 12. Contrarily, smaller and independent producers often cannot. This means fewer family farms and reduced competition across the industry.
- In the first quarter of 2025, 12% of small pork operations (<500 sows) exited the market or shifted production away from breeding due to compliance costs and uncertainty, according to USDA.
- Ignoring expert veterinary advice and chipping away at sound veterinary options: The American Veterinary Medical Association says Prop. 12 does “not objectively improve animal welfare and may unintentionally cause harm.”
- The housing requirement established by Prop. 12 is arbitrary, lacks a scientific or animal welfare foundation, and disregards the expertise of producers and veterinarians whose professional responsibility is to safeguard animal health.
- Making pork less affordable at the grocery store: The latest data shows increased retail prices in California are still more than 20% higher than before Prop. 12 took effect.
- Causing problems with trading partners: Under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, for example, states are not permitted to create non-tariff barriers to trade.
The following is a statement from Duane Simpson, President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), regarding the release of the House Agriculture Committee’s draft Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026:
“The release of a draft farm bill is an important and welcome step forward for farmers, co-ops, and rural America. Finishing the farm bill process started in last year’s reconciliation is overdue, and we appreciate Chairman Thompson’s leadership in moving this process ahead.
“Farmer co-ops rely on strong risk management tools, effective conservation and trade programs, and policies that support investment and innovation across rural communities. This draft reflects meaningful progress in a number of areas that matter to our members and reauthorizes a number of critical programs left out the reconciliation process.
“As the House Agriculture Committee moves toward markup later this month, we look forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and hope to see amendments considered and approved on issues that are particularly important to farmer cooperatives.
“NCFC remains committed to supporting a strong, bipartisan farm bill that gives farmers and the cooperatives they own the certainty they need to plan, invest, and continue feeding and fueling the country.”
Invest in Our Land (IIOL), a nonpartisan organization committed to amplifying the voices of American farmers and ranchers and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to implement conservation practices that strengthen their operations, safeguard our natural resources, and secure the future of U.S. agriculture, issued the following statement in response to the release of Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, proposed bill text for reauthorization of the Farm Bill:
“Invest in Our Land appreciates Chairman Thompson’s efforts to pass a Farm Bill that includes robust support and reforms for federal conservation programs, strengthens access to precision agriculture tools, and reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program,” said IIOL Executive Director Rebecca Bartels. “However, funding and policy improvements alone are not enough when NRCS capacity has been hollowed out over the past year, with 22 percent of its staff – equal to 2,673 employees – leaving the agency in just the first half of 2025. Without sufficient NRCS staff, programs and payments stall, contracts go unimplemented, and farmers are left carrying these consequences alone. As Congress works to get this Farm Bill across the finish line, we urge Members to give producers the certainty they need by protecting both conservation funding and the NRCS workforce required to deliver it to farmers on the ground.”
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