US Farm Bill Clears Senate Committee as Potato Growers Face a 30 September Extension Deadline
The Senate Agriculture Committee has advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026 on a party-line vote. The National Potato Council says the bill still faces significant work in Congress.
The US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry approved its version of the farm bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026, on 16 September 2026. The vote followed party lines and sends the bill to the full Senate. Western Ag Network put the count at 12–11. An earlier attempt to move the bill in August had stalled.
The National Potato Council (NPC) welcomed the step but warned against optimism. On its Facebook page, NPC said its CEO Kam Quarles told the Eye on Potatoes Podcast that the bill still faces significant work in Congress.
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- Deadline. The current extension of farm law runs to 30 September 2026. The 2018 farm bill first expired in 2023 and has been extended several times since.
- Floor votes. The bill needs 60 votes to advance in the full Senate. According to Western Ag Network, Quarles said the bipartisan support needed is not there yet. Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman expects a floor vote after the November midterm elections, the National Association of Counties (NACo) reports.
- Two chambers. The House passed its own bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, on 30 April by 224–200, according to NACo. The two versions will have to be reconciled.
- Sticking point. Nutrition assistance (SNAP) is a key point of contention. The Senate text would delay SNAP benefit cost-sharing by one year.
Possible routes discussed include a lame-duck session after the election or attaching the farm bill to must-pass legislation before year-end.
What potato growers want
NPC’s priorities, as outlined by Quarles, are better risk-management programmes and equal access for specialty crops to USDA economic relief funds already available to programme crops. The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, whose leadership includes NPC, Western Growers, the International Fresh Produce Association and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, thanked the committee. It called on Congress to enact a bipartisan farm bill before the end of the year.
Why it matters
Potatoes are a specialty crop in US farm policy. They rely less on commodity payments and more on research, market access, pest protection and crop insurance tools, all of which the farm bill funds. Another short-term extension would keep old rules in place while input costs and trade risks have changed. For exporters and suppliers dealing with US growers, the timing of the final bill will shape 2027 planting and investment decisions.
Photo: Potato harvest and sorting in the United States (illustrative, 2018). USDA / Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
