Congress extends critical Farm Bill for a third time. It's a relief for farmers, but raises concerns
Source: KCUR Kansas City, MO/NPR
Published November 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM CST
The farm bill has been extended for another year as part of legislation re-opening the federal government. Responses from agricultural groups and policy experts have ranged from applause to subdued relief. With three years of extensions rather than a new five-year policy, some are concerned about the future of the farm bill and long-standing USDA programs.
“The most prominent and possibly the most concerning program in this kind of limbo state of annual extensions is the Conservation Reserve Program, the CRP, which has been the backbone of conservation since 1985,” said Jonathan Coppess, associate professor of agricultural policy at the University of Illinois. CRP provides annual rental fees to farmers who take vulnerable land out of row crop production to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and provide wildlife habitat. For some, this looks like a meadow of native grasses and wildflowers or a riparian buffer along a stream.
Contracts typically last for 10-15 years, which provides stable funding for farmers during fluctuating crop prices and trade wars, Coppess said. “CRP is a backbone program because of how it fits within not just conservation, but also agriculture production and economic issues,” he added. In June, nearly 26 million acres were enrolled in the program, which is capped at 27 million. After the farm bill expired on Sept. 30, no new acres could be added as old contracts ended.
The farm bill extension reauthorized and funded CRP through next September, along with rural development initiatives, such as the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program. It provides funding to organizations that offer small loans and technical support to small business owners with 10 or fewer full-time employees.
Read more: https://www.kcur.org/environment-agriculture/2025-11-17/farm-bill-extended-crp
Note that the "Farm Bill" is a 5-year appropriation package and they haven't actually passed a new one since the 2018 version (and keep extending that one - i.e., the 2023 was never done and the 2018 one that was plopped on a C.R., and has been riding C.R.s ever since). Also note that it not only designates the subsidies and insurance for farmers, but also stuff related to SNAP.