What Is the Farm Bill?

The Farm Bill must be passed or extended by Congress every five years in order to fund U.S. agricultural and food programs.

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Edited by other Updated Oct 6, 2025 Updated on Oct. 6. Updated on Oct. 6. The current farm bill expired on Sept. 30, 2025, and in the midst of a government shutdown and general legislative impasse, there are no signs the issue will be addressed soon. Congress is required to address a new farm bill every five years. The United States has been operating under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which has been extended twice, most recently in 2024. If Congress does not pass a new farm bill or extension by Jan. 1, 2026, the U.S. will revert to “permanent law,” a set of farm policies that date back as far as the 1930s. Read more below. If you’re not a farmer, you might not think you need to care about the Farm Bill. But if you purchase or consume any food you haven’t grown yourself, you probably should. The Farm Bill — the Agriculture Improvement Act — refers to a wide-ranging package of bills that must be addressed by Congress every five years. It covers mandatory and discretionary funding for a variety of agricultural and food programs, which are split into 12 sections, also known as titles. These titles are: Commodity: Support for commodity crops like corn, dairy, peanuts, rice, soybeans and sugar. It also includes disaster assistance. Commodity: Conservation: Programs to support land and natural resources conservation including including land retirement programs, easement programs, working land programs, etc. Conservation: Trade: Includes U.S. agricultural export programs and international food assistance. Trade: Nutrition programs: SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs for low-income families such as school lunch programs. Nutrition programs: Credit: Direct government loans and guarantees for farmers. Credit: Rural development: Provides grants, loans and guarantees to support multiple areas of rural economic growth such as business, housing and community facilities. Rural development: Research, extension and related matters: Supports agricultural-related education and research. Research, extension and related matters: Forestry: Supports conservation programs through the USDA’s Forest Service. Forestry: Energy: Provides grants and loan guarantees for developing renewable energy systems. Energy: Horticulture: Supports production of specialty crops, USDA-certified organic foods, hemp, farmers markets and local food programs. Horticulture: Crop insurance: Authorizes the Federal Crop Insurance Program, which offers subsidized insurance policies to protect farmers against losses. Crop insurance: Miscellaneous: Advocacy and outreach programs; programs for beginning farmers as well as socially disadvantaged farms; and animal health programs. Miscellaneous: The title that receives the biggest portion of Farm Bill funding is nutrition — about 76% in the 2018 bill. Nutrition includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — food benefits for low-income families once known as food stamps. As of January, 41 million Americans received SNAP benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images News via Getty Images) Explore more on About the author Helhoski Anna Helhoski is a senior writer covering economic news and trends in consumer finance at NerdWallet. She is an on-air contributor and producer of Money News segments for NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. She is also an authority on student loans. She joined NerdWallet in 2014. Her work has been syndicated in news outlets nationwide including The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and USA Today. She previously covered local news in the New York metro area for the Daily Voice and New York state politics for The Legislative Gazette. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Purchase College, State University of New York. Published in How to Pay Off Debt: Top Strategies for 2026 Credit Score Ranges: What They Mean and How They Work How to Budget Money in 5 Steps 28 Proven Ways to Save Money Get Your Free Credit Score By NerdWallet How to Pay Off Debt: Top Strategies for 2026 By Lauren Schwahn, Jackie Veling 50/30/20 Budget Calculator By Amanda Barroso, Elizabeth Ayoola