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On June 23, 2026, Senator John Boozman, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, released new legislative text for the unfinished components of the traditional Farm Bill, known as “Farm Bill 2.0”. The proposed legislation includes controversial cuts to conservation, particularly a nearly $2 billion cut to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The draft also suggests that the Senate ANF Committee and the House Agriculture Committee may be willing to renege on earlier agreements regarding conservation, potentially leading to further cuts in the future.
Senate Committee Releases “Farm Bill 2.0”, Sparks Conservation Funding Controversy
On June 23, 2026, the Farm Bill 2.0, a legislative text for the remaining provisions of the traditional Farm Bill, was released publicly by Senator John Boozman, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (ANF). This article sheds light on the key elements of the bill and the surrounding debates, with a particular focus on the proposed cuts to conservation funding.
Historical Context
The Farm Bill 2.0 is essentially what’s left of the unfinished traditional Farm Bill. In 2025, Congress broke the Farm Bill into separate parts, with the Reconciliation Farm Bill included in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) Act of 2025. This move resulted in a nearly $200 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over ten years, with some of these reductions used to offset the costs of increased support for farmers.
This split in the Farm Bill left behind all other titles and programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Despite the House of Representatives passing its own version of the legislation, the bulks of the traditional Farm Bill, from rural economic development programs to trade and food aid programs, have not been reauthorized. The Senate and the House are now attempting to address this unfinished business.
However, navigating the complex legislative process within a campaign-truncated legislative calendar and potentially requiring a lame-duck session of Congress for completion presents a significant challenge.
Analysis of Farm Bill 2.0
Spanning 902 pages, the Farm Bill 2.0 primarily focuses on the reauthorization of the programs not included in the Reconciliation Farm Bill, such as those for rural development and research. However, an intriguing exception lies in the conservation title where nearly $2 billion in cuts to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) have been proposed.
This proposed reduction is a cause for concern for many reasons. Firstly, it breaks the commitment made in the Reconciliation Farm Bill to maintain the program’s funding level. Secondly, the cut could potentially lead to fewer farmers being able to implement conservation practices on their farms due to reduced assistance.
Moreover, both the Senate ANF Committee and the House Agriculture Committee’s proposed cuts could result in funding the entire reduction in the next few years, forcing farmers to deal with the impacts sooner rather than later.
Consequences of Cutting Conservation Funding
These reductions in conservation funding could have substantial real-world impacts. Fewer funds could result in more farmers having their applications for conservation assistance approved but not funded. This failure to meet demand could increase the backlog in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and add to the frustration experienced by farmers seeking assistance.
Estimates calculated using historical allocations of EQIP funds suggest that the proposed reductions in the Senate bill could lead over 56,500 valid farmer applications to go unfunded in the coming fiscal years.
Final Considerations
The Farm Bill 2.0 is a necessary step only because Congress did not reauthorize the Farm Bill in 2023. Instead, funds were redirected to increased farm payments from food assistance cuts. While much of the proposed legislation seems uncontroversial, it cannot be separated from this recent history.
The proposed cuts to conservation assistance in the Senate proposal add more controversy and doubt to the future of the traditional Farm Bill. The proposed nearly $2 billion cut to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) over the next four fiscal years will limit the number of farmers that can implement conservation practices on their farms. Furthermore, it signifies a willingness by Congress to break its commitment to conservation in the Reconciliation Farm Bill.
Overall, these proposed cuts in the Senate Bill raise serious questions about the future of conservation policy in agricultural legislation. Despite demand from farmers and public support, Congress has historically relegated conservation to a secondary priority. These proposed changes underline the urgency of addressing these concerns.
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