A “skinny” farm bill is being considered to complete action on parts of the traditional Farm Bill that have not yet been addressed. The pared-down version of the traditional five-year farm bill, designed to address only the most urgent or unfinished agricultural priorities could be brought up this year. A skinny farm bill would include issues that were not covered in recent legislation including the budget reconciliation legislation, aka “One Big Beautiful Bill”, passed earlier this year.
Key issues that could potentially be addressed include expiring programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, setting loan limits for USDA direct and guaranteed loans, rural broadband expansion, and making some commodity price support laws permanent after 2031.
House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-PA) is drafting a bill that could be available for markup in the next several weeks. However, tensions over nutrition policy, including the cuts to SNAP included in the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” have made bipartisan cooperation difficult.
In the Senate, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has expressed skepticism that a full “skinny” farm bill can pass in 2025 given the limited legislative calendar and other priorities. So while there’s momentum in both chambers to address parts of the farm bill piecemeal, outcome and timing remain uncertain. With limited legislative time before the current farm bill expires, lawmakers may need to pass another extension and delay full reform until 2026.