youngfarmers.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 3, 2026) — Late on Friday, July 31, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released a revised proposal for the next Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026. While the new text takes steps to reach a bipartisan agreement—the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) maintains that these incremental changes are not enough to address the existential crises facing young farmers today. The Committee will mark up the updated version of the Agricultural Act of 2026 this Thursday, August 6.
“We see the Committee moving on technical improvements, but technicalities will not save the new generation of farmers from land consolidation or a crumbling nutrition safety net,” said Michelle A.T. Hughes, Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “This revised text continues to ignore the urgent need for structural investments in land access and fails to restore the essential nutrition programs that keep our local farm economies viable. As written, this bill remains a missed opportunity.”
Land Access: A Continued Data and Policy Gap
The bill entirely omits authorization of the Increasing Land Access, Market, and Capital program and the TOTAL (Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land) survey. Neglecting these important programs leaves USDA without the data, tools, and resources to put the next generation of farmers on the land or to facilitate the transition of 300 million acres of farmland over the next two decades.
Young Farmers joins partners like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in calling for a Farm Bill that provides “courage and critical investments” rather than “empty promises.” We urge the Senate to return to the negotiating table to draft a truly bipartisan bill that:
- Restores mandatory funding for local food and climate-resilient conservation;
- Invests in equitable land access through the LCM program and TOTAL survey; and
- Strengthens the nutrition foundation by reversing and delaying SNAP cuts from HR 1.
Nutrition and Markets: Interconnected and Underfunded
The revised proposal fails to reverse the $187 billion in SNAP cuts enacted under the previous budget reconciliation, which takes food assistance away from millions while shifting unprecedented costs to states. According to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), 4.7 million people have already lost access to SNAP since July 2025, representing a massive loss of purchasing power for farmers who rely on these customers.
For young farmers, SNAP is a vital market access tool, not just a social program. Lydia Nebel of KC Farm Schoolhighlights how SNAP serves as a reliable economic driver for both families and local producers:
“KC Farm School has continued to see an increased use in SNAP and other food assistance programs offered at Kansas City area farmers markets. About half of our SNAP users are regular customers that use the farmers market for their grocery shopping so they can feed their families local, seasonal, nutrient-dense food. We not only get to help increase access to these high-quality foods for Kansans and Missourians, but also increase economic impact for area farmers. The market is producer-only so we can see the direct benefit on small businesses, regenerative farmers, and our community. Federal Food Assistance programs began in the 1930s to benefit both customers and farmers locally; we advocate for these benefits to be continued so more farmers can feed more people!”
Furthermore, while the bill maintains the Strengthening Local Food Security Program, it continues to lack mandatory funding, leaving the survival of local food systems to the whims of the annual appropriations process.
Until these core needs are met, the National Young Farmers Coalition continues to urge a “NO” vote on the Agricultural Act of 2026 to protect the future of American agriculture.
Visit Young Farmers on the web at youngfarmers.org.
Young Farmers news release
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