The long-awaited “Farm Bill 2.0” was introduced late last week, which is formally called the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04) says this bill addresses those leftover items that weren’t tackled in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Now, we need to continue on and take care of those things that we didn’t get done, so we’re going to start marking that bill up next week,” says Baird, who serves on the House Ag Committee.
He tells Hoosier Ag Today the key piece of “Farm Bill 2.0” is updating the credit programs and raising the loan limits for producers.
“The prices have changed and the margins have changed, so reference prices become an important factor,” he says. “[Farmers are] using so much money—if you’re talking about $1,100 or $1,200 to put out an acre of corn, and then the prices are upside down. So, it is important to have this safety net.”
Two years ago, a Farm Bill was introduced and passed through the House Ag Committee, but stalled in the House. Baird says he’s more confident that “Farm Bill 2.0” will actually reach the House floor for a vote.
“You have House Ag Committee members who are really well-tied to their communities, and well-tied to agriculture. So, I think we’re going to have the ability to make sure our colleagues understand how important this legislation is,” says Baird.
He adds that he has been having conversations already with his fellow lawmakers—including those from Indiana’s Congressional Delegation, as well as those from “across the aisle”—about the importance of passing “Farm Bill 2.0”.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions about the SNAP program, as we’ve gone through the process in the last year or two. So, having that program gives us the opportunity to have discussions with our colleagues about how they feel that’s important. At the same time, we can tell them how important we think agriculture is in those conversations,” says Baird.
Congressman Baird also encourages farmers and ag leaders to let their respective Representatives know the importance of this bill.
“As constituents contact their legislators, whether their lawmakers are involved in farm country or not, it really does have an impact,” he says.
CLICK HERE to read the full text and overviews of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
CLICK BELOW to hear Hoosier Ag Today’s radio news report:
CLICK BELOW to hear Hoosier Ag Today’s full conversation with Congressman Baird about “Farm Bill 2.0”, as well as the ongoing push for Year-Round E-15 and Farm Labor Reform:
