WASHINGTON — The continued absence of a new federal farm bill has left some agricultural programs without authorization, including the Conservation Reserve Program.
The 2018 Farm Bill originally expired in 2023 and was extended three times as Congress struggled to reach agreement on a long-term replacement. The latest federal continuing resolution funds the government through Dec. 11 but does not include another extension of the farm bill.
That leaves the future of CRP uncertain. The voluntary program provides payments to agricultural producers who agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from production and establish plant species intended to improve environmental health and land quality.
New CRP enrollment could resume if Congress extends the previous farm bill or reauthorizes the program as part of new farm legislation. Until lawmakers take action, however, farmers and ranchers face uncertainty over when additional enrollment opportunities could become available.
Not every major farm bill program faces the same immediate situation. Programs such as federal crop insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have funding structures that allow them to continue despite the expiration of the broader farm bill.
Congress has repeatedly relied on extensions since the 2018 legislation expired rather than approving a comprehensive replacement. The latest spending measure keeps much of the federal government operating through Dec. 11, creating another potential deadline for lawmakers to address agricultural policy.
CRP has long been one of the federal government's major agricultural conservation programs, providing financial incentives for producers to voluntarily take qualifying acreage out of agricultural production.
Without congressional action to extend or reauthorize the program, additional CRP enrollment remains uncertain.