In the halls of Congress, the buzz surrounding the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) has dominated legislative discussions, with its sweeping provisions promising significant changes for American agriculture. Touted as a comprehensive legislative package, the OBBB aims to bolster commodity programs, enhance crop insurance, and expand trade opportunities, offering a substantial safety net for farmers facing economic uncertainty. However, its projected $5.8 trillion in added debt and disproportionate subsidies favoring large agricultural interests have sparked heated debate. While these ramifications are undeniable, the fixation on this monumental bill is drowning out a more pressing issue: the desperate need to update and pass a new Farm Bill. As Congress continues to kick the can down the road, American farmers are left grappling with outdated policies that fail to address the modern challenges threatening the nation’s agricultural backbone.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” and Its Agricultural Impact
The OBBB has been heralded by some, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, as a transformative step for agriculture. In a recent opinion piece, Rollins emphasized that the bill increases funding for the farmer safety net, crop insurance, and trade programs over the next decade. Proponents argue it addresses immediate needs by raising reference prices—the thresholds that trigger subsidy payments—and expanding support for commodity programs, which could stabilize farm incomes amid volatile markets. Additionally, the bill aligns with President Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative by promoting domestic production of fruits and vegetables, potentially boosting employment and reducing reliance on imports.
However, critics, including voices on social media, argue that the OBBB prioritizes politically favored groups over systemic reform. The bill’s rushed, 1,000-page drafting process has been criticized for burying meaningful changes under layers of pork, potentially exacerbating the national debt without addressing structural issues in agriculture. For instance, while the OBBB strengthens commodity programs, it risks neglecting smaller farmers and conservation efforts, which are critical for long-term sustainability. The bill’s focus on large-scale subsidies could further consolidate agricultural production, leaving family farms vulnerable.
The Neglected Farm Bill: A Growing Crisis
While the OBBB garners headlines, the Farm Bill—last updated in 2018 and extended through September 2025—remains woefully outdated. The current extension, passed as part of the American Relief Act of 2025, provides $31 billion in disaster assistance for farmers but fails to address critical structural issues or include vital conservation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. This stopgap measure, while necessary to avoid a government shutdown, underscores Congress’s chronic procrastination on agricultural policy. As Chandler Goule of the National Association of Wheat Growers warned, farmers “can’t afford for the farm bill process to be dragged out even longer.”
The agricultural landscape has changed dramatically since 2018. Farmers face escalating challenges: retaliatory tariffs from China and other nations, intensified by the Trump administration’s trade policies, have led to canceled export orders and layoffs. In 2024, U.S. agricultural exports to China dropped 14% to $26 billion, exacerbating the trade imbalance. Natural disasters, from droughts to floods, continue to devastate crops, while animal disease outbreaks like Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and African Swine Fever threaten livestock industries with potential losses of up to $50 billion. Rising input costs, labor shortages, and inflation further strain farmers, who operate on razor-thin margins.
Moreover, national security concerns loom large. The 2020 incident of unsolicited seed packages from China, while not biological warfare, highlighted the vulnerability of U.S. agriculture to foreign threats. Recent arrests of Chinese scientists smuggling biological materials into the U.S. underscore the need for robust agricultural security measures. Yet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), tasked with protecting agriculture, operates as a trade agency rather than a national security entity, with its programs chronically underfunded.
Why a New Farm Bill Is Urgent
A modernized Farm Bill is essential to address these multifaceted challenges. First, it must prioritize agricultural security by establishing a senior USDA position dedicated to national and homeland security. This role would focus on mitigating threats like pathogens, pests, and invasive species, which could devastate crops and cost billions. Second, the bill should increase funding for USDA programs that identify and respond to agricultural threats, ensuring the agency is equipped to prevent disasters rather than merely reacting to them. The $1.4 billion spent responding to the current avian flu outbreak illustrates that prevention is far cheaper than response.
Conservation programs, a cornerstone of past Farm Bills, also need reinforcement. From 2019 to 2024, these programs committed over $21 billion to support farmers in restoring soil health and protecting waterways. However, the failure to incorporate any of this Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding into the Farm Bill extension risks diminishing these efforts. A new Farm Bill could secure long-term funding for these oversubscribed programs, helping farmers adopt practices that save money and bolster resilience.
The Path Forward
Congress’s failure to pass a new Farm Bill in 2023 and 2024, opting instead for extensions, reflects a broader dysfunction. With the 119th Congress facing a packed 2025 agenda and new leadership on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the window for action is narrowing. Lawmakers like Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman and House Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson have signaled their intent to prioritize a new Farm Bill, but partisan divides and competing priorities, including the OBBB, threaten further delays.
Farmers, advocates, and rural communities are sounding the alarm. Mike Stranz of the National Farmers Union emphasized that family farmers cannot withstand deep cuts to critical programs without clear justification. The National Grange and other groups have decried proposed SNAP cuts and the lack of progress on commodity price supports. Meanwhile, the USDA’s efforts to combat HPAI and streamline regulations, while commendable, are insufficient without legislative backing.
A Call to Action
Congress must shift its focus from the flashy promises of the OBBB to the nuts and bolts of a new Farm Bill. American agriculture is not just an industry; it’s a cornerstone of national security, economic stability, and food security. The risks—foreign threats, climate challenges, and economic volatility—are growing, and outdated policies leave farmers exposed. By modernizing the Farm Bill, Congress can strengthen agricultural security, fund conservation and nutrition programs, and provide a robust safety net for farmers. The time for action is now. Kicking the can down the road again is not just an inconvenience—it’s a betrayal of America’s farmers and the communities they sustain.