FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Samantha Cave
Communications Coordinator
samantha@nffc.net
603-333-6281
Senate Farm Bill Draft Lets Down Farmers in Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 23, 2026 – The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) is deeply disappointed with the Senate Agriculture Committee’s draft Farm Bill. The draft is a major missed opportunity to address the ongoing farm crisis. Instead, the Senate Farm Bill extends stagnant policies that fail to keep independent farmers afloat, and once again prioritizes the interests of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful agribusinesses. The fallout of this business-as-usual approach is obvious in a hastening economic decline marked by bankruptcies and farm closures across rural America.
“One would be hard pressed to envision a Farm Bill that does more to cater to corporate agribusiness,” shared Jim Goodman, retired dairy farmer and Co-President of the National Family Farm Coalition. “Our elected representatives in Congress are doubling down on the status quo – the same over-production, low farm prices, and consolidation that have kept our agricultural system on a commodity-driven treadmill. The new Farm Bill should support independent, family-scale farmers who drive thriving rural economies while caring for their communities and the environment. It should also enshrine programs that protect underserved farmers and maintain adequate nutrition programs for families most in need. Congress and our government need to start working for farmers, the environment and the people, not corporate agribusiness.”
The Senate draft offers no substantive changes to US farm policy and falls short of restoring economic vitality to the independent farmers and ranchers who form the backbone of our agricultural system. While the Senate draft omits some of the concerning pesticide and livestock provisions found in the House bill, it fails to reverse the deeply unpopular cuts to SNAP, tackle anti-competitive practices, or provide funding for new programs. The Farm Bill that passed the House of Representatives in May failed to undo a generation of harmful policies. The Senate must not repeat the same mistake.
With almost three years having passed without a new Farm Bill, NFFC recognizes that food producers desperately need the programs, funding, and stability that a full, five-year Farm Bill offers. Farmers are calling for policies ensuring fair prices for their products, improving credit access, addressing corporate land consolidation, and creating a trade environment that benefits producers. The Senate must pass a Farm Bill that meaningfully addresses the farm crisis – one that prioritizes what independent producers need to succeed – without delay.
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Since 1986, the National Family Farm Coalition has been mobilizing independent farmers, ranchers, and fisher people to achieve fair prices, vibrant communities, and nourishing food free of corporate domination. Today, NFFC’s 30 member groups span more than 40 states and represent family farmers, ranchers, and fishermen across the United States. To learn more, visit www.nffc.net