US 2026 Farm Bill Sets $1.374 trillion Baseline as Farm Income Projected to Decline

The 2026 Farm Bill projects a ten‑year baseline of $1.374 trillion in farm program spending, with nutrition assistance (SNAP) accounting for roughly three‑quarters of that amount. The bill’s financial impact is described as essentially budget‑neutral relative to the baseline.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service forecasts net farm income for the 2026 growing season at $153.4 billion, a 0.7 % drop from the previous year and a 2.6 % decline after inflation adjustment. High input costs, including diesel averaging $5.36 per gallon nationally, are squeezing farmer margins. In Arkansas, more than 200 participants attended a Rice and Soybean Field Day, where researchers highlighted a new herbicide technology that could be the first new mode of action in 40 years, and promising seed‑treatment advances.

These developments underscore ongoing economic pressures on U.S. agriculture and the role of the Farm Bill in shaping funding and policy responses.