Who wrote the Farm Bill 2026?

The lead author

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) is the primary architect of the Farm Bill 2026.

Thompson:

• Has served as House Ag Chairman since 2023 (119th Congress reaffirmed)
• Represents Pennsylvania’s 15th District (rural central/north-central PA)
• Has been on the House Agriculture Committee since 2009
• Has prioritized commodity safety net, conservation, and rural development
• Negotiated the bill primarily with House Republican members

Thompson introduced H.R. 7567 and managed it through the House Agriculture Committee markup, Rules Committee, and floor consideration.

Major Republican contributors

Senior House Ag Committee Republicans contributed substantial sections:

• Frank Lucas (R-OK): Former Ag Chairman; major Title I (commodities) influence
• Mike Bost (R-IL): Title V (credit) and Title VI (rural development)
• Austin Scott (R-GA): Title XII miscellaneous; Prop 12 preemption
• Trent Kelly (R-MS): Title II (conservation)
• Don Bacon (R-NE): Specialty crops; cattle issues
• Jim Baird (R-IN): Crop insurance; Title XI
• Tracey Mann (R-KS): Title III (trade)
• Eric Burlison (R-MO): Hemp; pesticide policy

House Democratic role

The lead Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee is Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) (until she was succeeded). Craig and other senior committee Democrats:

• Were involved in committee process and amendments
• Negotiated specific provisions that survived in the final bill (heirs’ property, 1890 funding, FRSAN, FCEP)
• Voted against final passage as a partisan position
• Played a defensive role rather than co-authorship role

This is typical for non-bipartisan farm bills: the majority party drives the bill, the minority party shapes specific provisions but doesn’t ultimately support the package.

Senate counterparts

The Senate Agriculture Committee will write the Senate version:

Chairman John Boozman (R-AR)

• Pro-rice, pro-conservation, generally pragmatic
• Will lead Senate Republican negotiations
• Historical record of bipartisan farm bill work

Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

• Strong dairy and ethanol advocacy
• Likely to push for SNAP cost-shift delays
• Will be the lead Democratic voice in Senate

The Senate version will likely differ substantially from the House version.

Outside influences

Farm bills are not written in isolation. Major influences on H.R. 7567:

Trade associations:

• American Farm Bureau Federation (broad)
• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (cattle)
• National Pork Producers Council (Prop 12 preemption)
• National Milk Producers Federation (dairy)
• American Soybean Association
• National Corn Growers Association

Stakeholder coalitions:

• 1890 Universities Foundation (1890 funding)
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives (heirs’ property)
• Forest Landowners Association (FCEP)
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (conservation, organic)

Republican leadership:

• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)
• Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA)

Conservative groups (oppose specific provisions):

• House Freedom Caucus (general spending concerns)
• Heritage Action (specific provisions)
• Various trade liberalization advocates

The MAHA movement

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement featured in commentary on H.R. 7567, often around pesticide preemption. We previously stated that a Luna/Crane amendment “stripped pesticide preemption” by a 280-142 vote; that was not supported by the primary record and has been corrected. The 280–142 vote (House Clerk Roll Call 148, Luna Part B Amendment No. 28) struck Section 12006 on livestock-derived products in interstate commerce, not pesticide labeling, and we have not located a Clerk roll call confirming a floor amendment that removed the pesticide-preemption language. Treat MAHA’s reported influence as analysis rather than a recorded vote outcome.

What this means for the final bill

The bill that lands on the President’s desk will be written collaboratively by:

1. Thompson (R-PA): House primary author
2. Boozman (R-AR): Senate chairman, Senate version author
3. Klobuchar (D-MN): Senate ranking member, Democratic leader
4. House conferees: including Thompson, Lucas, Craig (or her successor)
5. Senate conferees: including Boozman, Klobuchar, others
6. Trump administration: input on signing-readiness

The final bill will reflect compromises among all of these.

More detail

• Vote Tracker, final passage votes
• House Ag Committee
• Senate Ag Committee
• Senate Status, what’s next