What's New: 2026 Farm Bill vs 2018

## The big picture The 2018 farm bill (Agriculture Improvement Act) ran from FY2019 to FY2023, was extended three times, and finally gets replaced by the Farm Bill 2.0, running through FY2031. But this isn't a clean replacement. The 2025 budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) already locked in much of what would normally be in a farm bill. So the **2026 farm bill is narrower** than 2018, focusing on what reconciliation couldn't address. ## Brand-new programs These didn't exist in the 2018 farm bill: | New program | Title | What it does | |---|---|---| | Forest Conservation Easement Program (FCEP) | II | Replaces HFRP. Two easement types: forest land and forest reserve. | | Specialty Crop Emergency Assistance Framework | I | Permanent payment framework for adverse events. | | State Soil Health Program | II | Grants to state and tribal soil health programs ($100M/yr). | | U.S. Southern Border EQIP Initiative | II | Repairs ag infrastructure damage near the border. | | Office of Conservation Innovation | II | New NRCS office for practice standard reviews. | | NASS Modernization Commission | VII | Updates national ag statistics methods. | | FMD Infrastructure Subprogram | III | Addresses port/storage infrastructure in new markets. | | Common Names Protection | III | New legal tool against EU-style geographic indications. | | Specialty crop competitiveness reports | III | Biennial public reports on imports vs U.S. specialty crops. | ## Eliminated programs | Program | What happened | |---|---| | Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) | Repealed. Functions absorbed into FCEP. | | Supplemental Agricultural Trade Promotion | Repealed. Funding rolled into expanded Trade Promotion. | | Mink association ban (under MAP) | Repealed (the prohibition itself, not a program). | ## Major funding changes | Program | 2018 Bill | Farm Bill 2.0 | Change | |---|---|---|---| | EQIP mandatory funding | $2.655B (FY2026) | $2.53B (FY2027), $3.255B (FY2031) | Net −$786M / 10yr | | MAP | $200M annually | $400M (FY2027), $410M after | Doubled | | Foreign Market Development | $34.5M annually | $70.5M (FY2027), $82M after | Doubled | | Specialty Crop Research | Lower | $30M | Increased | | Specialty Crop Automation | $0 | $20M | New | | Trade Promotion (TASC) | $9M | $18M | Doubled | | Feral Swine Eradication | $105M (FY25-31) | $150M (FY25-31) | +$45M | | Conservation Reserve Program | 27M acres | 27M acres | No change | | Organic conservation cost-share cap | $140K | $200K | +$60K | | ACEP federal share | 50% | 65% (90% for SDA) | Up | ## Major policy changes ### Conservation (Title II) | Topic | 2018 | 2026 | |---|---|---| | ACEP and AGI limit | Subject to $900K AGI limit | Exempted; ACEP income excluded from AGI | | Buy-protect-sell transactions in ACEP | Allowed | Eliminated | | EQIP precision agriculture | Not specifically defined | Defined and made eligible at 90% cost-share | | Forest Service hiring | Standard federal hiring | Direct hire authority for technical staff | ### Nutrition (Title IV) | Topic | 2018 | 2026 (combined with H.R. 1) | |---|---|---| | SNAP cost-shifting to states | None | New state cost obligations | | Hot rotisserie chicken | Not eligible | Eligible nationwide | | ABAWD work requirements | 3 months in 36 | Tighter under H.R. 1 | | State certification outsourcing | Limited | Expanded authority | ### Trade (Title III) | Topic | 2018 | 2026 | |---|---|---| | Food for Peace administration | USAID | USDA | | FFP commodity sourcing | Flexible | At least 50% U.S. commodities required | | Common name protection | Not addressed | New legal definition + USTR mandate | ### Rural Development (Title VI) | Topic | 2018 | 2026 | |---|---|---| | REAP eligibility | Producers + small businesses | + ag co-ops under 2,500 employees | | Satellite broadband | Not explicitly eligible | Explicitly eligible | | Rural mental health | Not prioritized | Specifically prioritized | | Maternal health | Not prioritized | Specifically prioritized | ### Crop Insurance (Title XI) | Topic | 2018 | 2026 | |---|---|---| | Veteran farmer definition | Operating fewer than 5 years | Broader definition | | Veteran subsidies | Standard | Increased | | Quality loss adjustment | Status quo | Mandated review | ### Miscellaneous (Title XII) | Topic | 2018 | 2026 | |---|---|---| | State animal welfare standards (Prop 12) | States retained authority | Federal preemption for non-jurisdiction animals | | Foreign farmland ownership | Limited reporting | Enhanced reporting | | Agricultural cybersecurity | Not specifically addressed | New funding | ## What stayed the same A lot did. Particularly: - CRP cap at 27M acres - Most TEFAP and CSFP food distribution provisions - Core ACEP wetland reserve easement structure - Most research program authorities and structures - The basic crop insurance subsidy framework - Most forestry research authorities ## How to read this comparison Two ways: 1. **As a producer:** Look at the programs you currently use. Most haven't changed. The exceptions are noted above. 2. **As a policy analyst:** Note that the bill is incremental. There's no transformative restructuring of the safety net, no major change to commodity policy (locked in by H.R. 1), no transformation of nutrition policy. The 2026 farm bill is best understood as **a maintenance bill with targeted upgrades**, not a wholesale rewrite.