Budget bill called win for agriculture

WASHINGTON — Agriculture leaders voiced support for the massive spending and tax package bill that includes significant new farm program funding.

The federal budget reconciliation package, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was signed into law on July 4 and covers ag-related programs ranging from crop references prices to biofuels to livestock, but fell short of addressing a new farm bill.

He is what ag leaders had to say:

“Farm Bureau applauds the House and Senate for passing legislation that will bring certainty to America’s farmers and ranchers. Modernizing important farm safety net programs and making permanent critical tax provisions could be the difference between staying in business or shutting down the family farm. More than half of farmers are losing money, so an increase in reference prices is desperately needed, and tax tools will help farmers and ranchers plan for the next season and the next generation. Lawmakers took a big step toward ensuring America’s farmers and ranchers can continue to keep pantries filled for America’s families.”

Zippy Duvall, president

American Farm Bureau Federation

“Family farmers and ranchers still need a comprehensive five-year farm bill that reflects the full breadth of agriculture, from producers to consumers, and using reconciliation to move a partial package is a missed opportunity. There are some meaningful provisions in this bill. It strengthens the farm safety net, invests in biofuels and conservation, and extends key tax incentives. But these gains are paired with harmful tradeoffs — most notably, cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and new, broader loopholes in farm program payment limits. We support Senator Grassley’s amendment to close those loopholes and better target support to family farmers and ranchers. These improvements are essential to restore fairness. Farm policy should unite us. We urge lawmakers to redouble their efforts to deliver a farm bill that works for everyone.”

Rob Larew, president

National Farmers Union

“Indiana Farm Bureau thanks our congressional delegation that voted to pass the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ providing our members with much needed certainty. From modernizing farm bill programs to making permanent tax provisions that are essential to passing the farm on to the next generation, this bill is a huge victory for Hoosier farmers.”

Randy Kron, president

IndianaFarm Bureau

“The legislation contains several important and longstanding priorities for corn growers, including the extension of key tax provisions and investments in commodity and trade promotion programs. Corn growers have been pushing for many of these improvements since at least 2023 and spent much of the last year preparing to shape the federal tax provisions. We appreciate the members of Congress who worked to ensure our views and these provisions were included in the final bill.”

Kenneth Hartman Jr., president

National Corn Growers Association

“At a time of great uncertainty for the agriculture economy, the support of Congress to enhance key programs and vital domestic markets for our farmers is critical. ASA thanks the House and Senate for maintaining several crucial farm programs and tax provisions that support U.S.soybean growers.”

Caleb Ragland, president

American Soybean Association

“We’re grateful to our Congressional champions for their steadfast leadership to support and strengthen the 45Z credit, which is remarkable considering the fact most other IRA-era tax credits were limited or phased-out in the final package. While there were other improvements we had hoped to achieve in the final 45Z language, restoring transferability of the credit, removing indirect land use change penalties and restricting feedstock eligibility to United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement countries will strengthen the credit from its original version. In terms of the credit term, we preferred the House language which would have extended 45Z through 2031, and we also urged Congress to specifically allow low-carbon farming practices to be monetized through 45Z with the feedstock calculator and guidelines USDA has released, but nevertheless ACE remains committed to working with federal agencies to implement the credit in ways that reward on-farm conservation practices and accelerate the use of homegrown, low-carbon biofuels.”

Brian Jennings, CEO

American Coalition for Ethanol

“We are disappointed that the final reconciliation bill restricted foreign feedstocks under 45Z. We will continue to advocate for both domestic and international feedstocks to ensure advanced biofuel refineries and bio-refineries have the resources they need to maximize production and contribute to America’s energy dominance agenda. We turn our attention now to the EPA’s work developing its final RVOs for 2026 and 2027. The proposed rule currently calls for a 50% reduction in RIN value for fuels made with foreign feedstocks, which will only hurt American bio-refineries and their workers. We urge the EPA to reconsider this current restriction and support American advanced biofuel production.”

Michael McAdams, president

Advanced Biofuels Association

“The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is one of the most consequential pieces of legislation for American agriculture in years. It helps producers protect our herds by fending off foreign animal diseases, and it also cuts red tape, allowing us to more easily pass down our farms to the next generation. NPPC thanks President Trump for signing the bill into law and Chairmen Thompson and Boozman for listening to our input and shepherding this legislation through their respective chambers. We look forward to continuing to work with congressional partners this year on a ‘skinny’ farm bill, which should include measures to prevent a patchwork of conflicting state farming regulations and bring further certainty to the pork industry.”

Duane Stateler, president

National Pork Producers Council

“Since day one, NCBA has been working with Congress to make sure the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ includes policy priorities for America’s hardworking family farmers and ranchers. I’m proud that this legislation protects farms and ranches from being split up and sold off to pay a high death tax bill. I’m also glad the bill protects pro-business tax deductions for cattle producers, lowers our taxes overall and funds programs like the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, voluntary conservation programs, and invests in keeping foreign animal diseases out of the United States.”

Buck Wehrbein, president

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association