The House Agriculture Committee on March 4 passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, advancing 21 priorities led by U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) on behalf of Iowa farmers and rural communities.
“For two years, I’ve traveled across Iowa listening to farmers, producers, and rural communities about what they need from the next Farm Bill,” Rep. Nunn said. “I fought to make sure Iowa farmers had a seat at the table as this legislation was written. Together, we secured 21 priorities that open doors for young producers, protect our food supply from foreign adversaries, and ensure Iowa farmers can continue feeding and fueling the world.”
The legislation, H.R. 7567, now awaits consideration by the full House.
Among some of the key provisions secured by Rep. Nunn, the bill lowers barriers to USDA farm ownership loans by reducing experience requirements to as little as one year, drawn from his Next Generation of Farmers Act, helping young producers enter agriculture. The bill also incorporates language from his Farm Transitions Act, establishing a national commission to examine challenges facing the next generation of farmers, including land affordability, credit access, and foreign farmland ownership.
On rural investment, the bill codifies the USDA ReConnect program to expand high-speed internet access in rural areas, building on Rep. Nunn’s ReConnecting Rural America Act. It also raises the maximum loan under the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program to $75,000, lowers cost-sharing requirements, and extends the program through 2031, based on his Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Act.
The bill further incorporates Rep. Nunn’s Delivering for Rural Seniors Act, creating a pilot home delivery program for participants in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program to ensure seniors in rural communities who cannot travel to distribution sites continue receiving food assistance.
The congressman also had provisions from a number of other bills included in the broader legislation, including those that focused on protecting farms from disasters like flooding, strengthening agricultural cybersecurity, and supporting nutrition access, according to a summary provided by Rep. Nunn’s office.