Bill > HR7567

This bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, aims to reform and continue agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2031. Key provisions include suspending permanent price support authority until 2031, enhancing the Tree Assistance Program to better support orchardists and nursery tree growers affected by natural disasters, and establishing an emergency assistance framework for specialty crops impacted by adverse events. It also introduces block grants for disaster-related losses, extends dairy-related programs, and mandates reporting on dairy product processing costs. The bill strengthens domestic food production supply chains, modifies conservation programs like the Conservation Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to encourage precision agriculture and wildlife habitat connectivity, and supports soil health initiatives through grants to states and Indian tribes. Trade provisions focus on promoting agricultural exports, preserving foreign markets for goods using common names, and establishing an interagency working group for seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables. Nutrition programs, particularly the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are updated with policy declarations emphasizing access to healthy foods, staffing flexibility for states, and permanent authority for online purchasing. The bill also reauthorizes and modifies various credit programs, including farm ownership and operating loans, with increased loan limitations and provisions for beginning and veteran farmers. Rural development initiatives focus on improving health outcomes through distance learning and telemedicine, expanding high-speed broadband access, and supporting rural water and waste systems, with specific grants for new, mobile, and expanded meat processing facilities. Forestry programs are updated to support state assessments, landscape-scale restoration, wildfire mitigation, and forest management activities, including provisions for timber innovation and white oak restoration. Energy provisions promote bioenergy and biobased products, support biorefineries, and include studies on the effects of solar panel installations on farmland. Horticulture and marketing provisions include updates to specialty crop block grants, market news allocation, and the establishment of an Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, alongside reforms to organic certification and pesticide regulations. The crop insurance program is modified to improve specialty crop coverage, support beginning and veteran farmers, and review the effectiveness of coverage penalties. Miscellaneous provisions address animal health, meat and poultry processing, national security related to agricultural foreign investment, and various rural development and research initiatives, including support for 4-H programs, agricultural innovation centers, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service modernization. The bill also includes provisions related to the Farm Credit System, rural broadband expansion, and the establishment of a Rural Development Innovation Center.