My Weekly Column: Passing a Strong Farm Bill That Delivers for Rural America

When I came to Congress, I was committed to giving farmers, producers, and working families a seat at the table and delivering results for those who make Iowa’s 4th district a strong and productive community. Serving one of the largest agricultural districts in the nation, I kept a clear goal: pass a strong, comprehensive Farm Bill that gives our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities the certainty and tools they need to be successful.

When House Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cuts, we included much of the Farm Bill, delivering the largest investment in agriculture in a generation, strengthening the farm safety net, and improving the crop insurance program while making it easier to obtain for beginning farmers. We also provided the most significant tax reforms in history for farmers’ balance sheets, permanently expanding the Death Tax exemption and providing for 100% immediate expensing. Last week, House Republicans moved to finish the job and pass the remaining essential provisions of the Farm Bill.

After years of delay and Washington gridlock, the House has finally passed the long-overdue Farm Bill that reflects the voices of farmers and the modern realities of agriculture. It has been nearly a decade, and the policies of the 2018 Farm Bill do not match the challenges facing the agriculture industry in 2026. Rising input costs, volatile markets, foreign competition, and burdensome regulations have made it harder for producers to succeed. Farmers do not have the luxury to wait for Washington to figure out their policy debates, and they simply should not have to.

As I travel throughout Iowa’s 4th district, visiting farms, co-ops, and our rural communities, I’ve heard one thing loud and clear: get this Farm Bill done.

This Farm Bill is the product of years of listening and working alongside those who feed and fuel our country. I am honored that it includes more than fifteen bills I have helped lead, aimed at strengthening Iowa agriculture from the ground up.

We’re protecting farmland and ensuring it stays in the hands of Iowa families and not foreign adversaries through my FARMLAND Act, ensuring that our nation’s most critical resource stays here at home. We’re also ensuring our exports arrive in the highest quality and best represent our products through my FRIDGE Act, improving infrastructure at ports and helping to unlock new global markets for Iowa producers. The Farm Bill also ensures we put comprehensive trade agreements forward to ensure that foreign animal disease threats in one part of the country do not impact Iowa’s ability to export or import goods through my SAFE Act.

At the same time, we’re investing in the future of agriculture. This Farm Bill and bills like my Future Farmers Act accelerate agricultural research, supporting the next generation of farmers, and promoting innovation to help our producers tackle everything from extreme weather to rising costs. It also prioritizes farmer safety, including my legislation, the Roll-Over Protection and Safety (ROPS) Act, to help retrofit older tractors with life-saving rollover protection systems.

Just as importantly, this bill restores common sense and fairness to agriculture policy. It stands up against harmful and unfair mandates like California’s Proposition 12, which has driven up the cost of pork at the grocery store and imposed unscientific standards for farmers across the country. Agriculture policy should be decided by those who know it best, our farmers and producers, not by activists in California, which produces less than 1/10th of 1% of the nation’s hogs.

At the end of the day, farmers don’t care about political games. They care about having the tools they need to succeed, the ability to stay on their land, and one day pass their operations on to the next generation.

The House has done its job. Now it’s time for the Senate to send this bill to President Trump’s desk.

Iowa farmers and rural communities cannot wait any longer. It’s time to deliver a strong Farm Bill that American farmers can count on.