On April 30 the House finally passed a farm bill by a 224-200 vote. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act, includes several key provisions for conservation aimed at supporting private land stewardship and enhancing wildlife habitat.
Key Conservation Provisions
Funding Reallocation: The bill reallocates nearly $20 billion in conservation funding originally provided by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The bill makes this funding permanent within the Conservation Title, it removes the "climate sideboards" that previously restricted its use to greenhouse gas reduction projects.
New Forest Easement Program: It establishes a new Forest Conservation Easement Program with mandatory funding to support working forest conservation.
Wildlife & Habitat Connectivity: The bill directs the USDA to provide more resources for habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors, specifically prioritizing these within the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP): The CRP is reauthorized for five years through 2031, aligning its schedule with the rest of the bill's titles.
Precision Agriculture: It expands support for precision agriculture, allowing for increased payments (up to 90%) to help farmers adopt technology like GPS and sensors that improve efficiency and reduce resource waste.
Several individual acts were integrated into the broader bill, including:
ENABLE Conservation Act: Designed to help farmers voluntarily restore unused land to its natural state.
GATES Act: Aims to reduce administrative barriers for producers trying to access federal conservation programs.
Headwaters Protection Act: Focuses on improving water, air, and soil quality through reforms to the Water Source Protection Program.
Attention now focuses on the Senate, where Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., is targeting the end of May or early June for a bill markup. Boozman said, “Congress wants to get a farm bill done. The House going ahead and passing something was really helpful to us.” However, quick passage there is not expected as Senate Democrats prepare for fights on pesticides issues and food assistance funding cut backs.
Unlike in the House, where the bill could pass with a simple majority, the Senate version will require 60 votes to clear a filibuster threat which means securing at least seven Democrat votes.
The top Democrat on the Committee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, says she wants to revisit a policy to shift a substantial portion of the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program onto states, as required by last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.