The 2025 Farm Bill could bring a massive expansion of base acres.
At the center of it is a new base acre provision that could add up to 30 million acres across the country. Researchers say that sounds promising but warn it may not play out the same for every farm or every state.
Early analysis shows five Plains states could account for nearly 40% of the new base acres.
There are still plenty of questions about how USDA will roll it out and who really stans to gain.
With more base acres comes more spending, raising concerns about how much this will ultimately cost taxpayers.
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Ag leaders say President Donald Trump’s State of the Union is unlikely to spark major agriculture headlines, but ongoing tariff uncertainty and trade policy remain key concerns, as does the debate around glyphosate and the status of the next Farm Bill.
The debate now matters as much as the policy — market rules and regulatory clarity depend on whether Congress can finish the bill this year.
Farm Bureau Economist Faith Parum discusses the latest Farm Bill proposal and the path ahead for Congress and U.S. agriculture.
Roger McEowen with the Washburn School of Law reviews key highlights from the House Agriculture Committee’s latest farm bill proposal.
Formally dubbed “Farm Bill 2.0” by committee leadership, the draft surfaces after a high-stakes legislative dance that saw much of the traditional farm bill’s funding, specifically for crop insurance and safety net programs, carved out and passed in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Ag Committee Chairman Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson has referred to the proposal as “Farm Bill 2.0.”