Farm Bill 2026: Why the Process Has Changed and What It Means

Описание: The Farm Bill isn't just late. The process for writing it has fundamentally changed — and that shift has consequences for every American.

Will there be a new Farm Bill? According to Tara Smith, it's a coin flip. And yes, it matters. Not just for farmers, but for nearly everyone the Farm Bill touches: nutrition programs, conservation, rural development, and agricultural research that affects the entire food system.

Tara has worked on six farm bills. She served as senior professional staff on the Senate Agriculture Committee during a critical overhaul of the farm safety net, was Director of Government Affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, and has spent 30 years navigating agricultural policy in Washington, D.C. She joins the Flinchbaugh Center for Ag and Food Policy for this month's Clearing the Air on Agricultural Policy.

In this conversation, Tara and the panel cover:

→ Why "normal order" has broken down — and what that means for farmers and stakeholders who used to know how to participate in the process
→ Why budget reconciliation is not a substitute for a real farm bill — 550 pages of policy can't be replaced with 40
→ How the farm safety net has become three overlapping systems — and why that's a problem
→ Why emergency ad hoc payments are a blunt instrument — and how they get built into cash rents before farmers can benefit
→ Why farm policy is falling behind current conditions — input costs, trade volatility, biologicals, agricultural labor
→ What a genuine reset could look like — and whether the current moment can deliver one

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Clearing the Air on Agricultural Policy is a monthly discussion series presented in partnership between the Flinchbaugh Center for Ag and Food Policy and the Smoke and Mirrors podcast.

This episode features:
Tara Smith — Executive Vice President, Torrey Advisory Group
Mark Edelman — Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University
Brad Lubben — Associate Extension Professor, University of Nebraska
Jennifer Ifft — Professor, Kansas State University; Flinchbaugh Agricultural Policy Chair
Host: Eric Atkinson


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