Senate committee farm bill draft includes specialty crop provisions

Industry groups greeted the release of a discussion draft of the Agricultural Act of 2026, commonly called Farm Bill 2.0, by U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry with optimism.

Committee chair John Boozman released the draft on June 23.

“The National Potato Council thanks Chairman Boozman for his leadership in continuing the momentum for reauthorization of the Farm Bill,” NPC CEO Kam Quarles said in a statement. “We are hopeful that meaningful discussions will be generated by today’s release and result in a broadly supported bill being reported to the Senate floor this summer.

“In particular, we thank the chairman for recognizing the imperative of specialty crop economic relief and his common-sense framework for delivering vital resources to America’s family-owned potato farms.”

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) also applauded the move, noting that passage of the 2026 Farm bill is one of the organization’s top priorities.

NASDA’s farm bill recommendations include emphasis on specialty crop funding and trade promotion.

“As this process gets underway in the Senate, NASDA remains committed to advocating for a bipartisan farm bill that will advance the food, fiber and fuel provided by American agriculture,” CEO Ted McKinney said. “Finishing a farm bill is vital to the food and agriculture sector, which benefits our economy, accounting for roughly one-fifth of U.S. economic activity and supporting nearly 23 million jobs.”

The discussion draft (.pdf) includes a framework for specialty crop payment assistance in case of defined “adverse events” and calls for an annual report on the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop exports, the establishment of a competitive research extension grant program, and the creation of a Specialty Crops Coordinator.

“The discussion draft released today includes important provisions to strengthen the competitiveness of the family farms producing specialty crops across the United States,” the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance said in a June 23 statement. “We look forward to working with members of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee as the legislative process moves forward.

“At a time when growers are facing unprecedented economic challenges, enacting a full five-year farm bill is critical to the long-term sustainability of American agriculture and the communities specialty crop producers support.”

The SCFBA is co-chaired by Quarles; Cathy Burns, International Fresh Produce Association CEO; Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; and Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers.

The U.S. House passed its version of the farm bill in late April.