February 2026
Florida Farm Bureau has commented on the recent Farm Bill markups that were released on February 13.
Florida Farm Bureau Federation appreciates Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson and the House Agriculture Committee for advancing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. America’s farmers and ranchers have been operating under an extension of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 for far too long, and the need for an updated, modernized farm bill is urgent.
Florida agriculture has faced historic hurricanes, catastrophic freezes, citrus greening, rising input costs, and increasing global competition. This proposal makes meaningful improvements to the farm safety net, strengthens crop insurance, enhances disaster assistance for specialty crop producers, and increases investment in plant pest and disease mitigation — all critical priorities for our state’s citrus, vegetable, sugarcane, peanut, cotton, forestry, and livestock producers.
We also appreciate the bill’s significant expansion of international trade promotion programs like Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), which help Florida growers compete in export markets, as well as increased funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants and conservation programs that protect water quality while keeping farmers productive. Improvements to credit programs and risk management tools better reflect today’s land values and cost environment, providing needed certainty for the next generation of producers.
Importantly, this legislation builds on the major strides made last year through the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which strengthened core safety-net programs and demonstrated bipartisan recognition that agriculture policy must reflect modern economic realities. The momentum created in 2025 should carry forward to final passage this Congress.
Florida farmers cannot afford further delay. The challenges facing agriculture: from foreign competition to weather disasters, demand certainty and stability. We urge Congress to act swiftly to pass a comprehensive farm bill in the 119th Congress and deliver the long-overdue policy framework America’s farmers need to continue feeding, fueling, and clothing our nation.