Feb 17, 2026Farm bill draft advances specialty crop priorities
A draft farm bill released Feb. 13 by the U.S. House Agriculture Committee includes several provisions aimed at strengthening support for specialty crop producers, including tree nut growers.
The proposed legislation directs USDA to establish a framework for delivering future disaster assistance to specialty crops and to create standing authority to provide ad hoc disaster relief through state block grants. The bill is scheduled for markup Feb. 23.
Congress has not enacted a full farm bill since 2018, instead extending funding through continuing resolutions and short-term measures.
“A new farm bill is long overdue, and the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 is an important step forward in providing certainty to our farmers, ranchers and rural communities,” said Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee.
For tree nut growers facing export competition, labor challenges and rising input costs, several draft provisions could prove significant. Among them:
- Establishing a permanent framework for specialty crop disaster assistance, delivered through block grants to states
- Increasing funding for key export promotion programs, including the Market Access Program (MAP), Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), Emerging Markets Program (EMP), Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) and Priority Trade Fund (PTF)
- Requiring a congressional report on foreign trade barriers that disadvantage U.S. specialty crop exports or boost imported competition
- Providing $30 million annually from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to create a new Specialty Crop Mechanization and Automation Research and Extension Program
- Formalizing producer consultation in the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
- Establishing a specialty crop advisory committee to ensure industry input in policy development
- Creating a pricing library for specialty crops
- Industry groups welcomed the release of draft language as a starting point in long-delayed negotiations.
“We thank Chairman Thompson for starting the farm bill process with the release of this bill,” said Dean Gibson, vice president of legislative affairs for the National Potato Council.
The full text (.pdf) and an overview (.pdf) of the bill are available online.
