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WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 18, 2026) — On February 13, 2026, the House Agriculture Committee released their draft of the next Farm Bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. While the draft includes important provisions reflecting years of advocacy from the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) and its farmer leaders, it ultimately fails to address the scale of the land access, climate, and market challenges facing the next generation.
“We appreciate Chairman Thompson and the House Agriculture Committee for continuing the work of advancing the next Farm Bill,” said Michelle A.T. Hughes, Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “There are meaningful provisions in this draft, but at a moment when land consolidation, the climate crisis, and food insecurity are accelerating, this Bill does not provide young farmers the support necessary to protect the future of our food and farm systems.”
The House draft establishes a pilot program allowing the Farm Service Agency to pre-approve direct farm ownership loans, increases loan limits indexed to land values, and continues heirs’ property support. These changes reflect long-standing priorities of young farmers to update FSA credit programs to reflect the current market and prices for agricultural land.
The draft does not authorize the Increasing Land Access, Market, and Capital Program or fund community-led land access and retention initiatives. It makes it harder for producers to purchase agricultural land by removing the buy-protect-sell authority from the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). The Bill fails to meaningfully address speculative land ownership pressures that are driving farmland out of reach for working farmers.
“Credit improvements are important, but this alone does not solve the land access crisis,” said Erin Foster West, Executive Programs Director with the National Young Farmers Coalition. “Without structural investment in equitable land access, we risk locking out the next generation.”
“We are grateful that the Committee is continuing the Farm Bill process,” said Vanessa Garcia Polanco, Government Relations Director at Young Farmers. “But gratitude does not replace the need for courage and critical investments in the future of agriculture. The current bill does not meet the needs of young farmers.”
Young Farmers urges members of the House Agriculture Committee to strengthen the bill during markup to center equitable land access, robust nutrition programs, access to local and regional markets, and farmer-led climate solutions. Young farmers need a Farm Bill that allows them not just to survive, but to thrive. This proposal takes steps forward, but it does not meet the needs of this critical moment.
National Young Farmers Coalition news release
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