NEWS RELEASE: Statement from Invest In Our Land Executive Director Rebecca Bartels on House Passage of the Farm Bill
Washington DC, Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Today, Invest in Our Land issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 by the House of Representatives:
“From high input costs and volatile markets to increasingly destructive weather, American farmers and ranchers are navigating the toughest stretch in a generation,” said Rebecca Bartels, Executive Director of Invest in Our Land. “Federal conservation programs are among the most effective tools they have to manage that pressure, which is why the historic, long-term conservation investment Congress made in 2022 must be protected and built upon. With today’s House action, the work shifts to the Senate, which has the opportunity to reject near-term EQIP cuts, expand the Conservation Reserve Program, and codify the Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program. The recent letter from members of our American Farmers for Conservation network and the letter from 15 House Republicans sent an unmistakable signal: producers and the lawmakers who represent them want these programs strengthened. But the Farm Bill alone can’t fix everything. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has lost 22 percent of its workforce, and still more cuts could be on the horizon. The FY27 bill advanced by the House Appropriations Committee yesterday makes some improvements over the Administration’s budget proposal, but still shortchanges the planners, engineers, and field staff who get conservation contracts to producers. Funding without delivery capacity means farmers wait longer, applications go unfunded, and good policy never reaches the field. Protecting and expanding conservation funding has to go hand-in-hand with protecting the people who deliver it, and we will continue working with farmers, ranchers, and lawmakers in both parties to make this happen.”
ABOUT INVEST IN OUR LAND
Invest in Our Land is a nonpartisan organization committed to amplifying the voices of American farmers and ranchers and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to implement conservation practices that strengthen their operations, safeguard our natural resources, and secure the future of U.S. agriculture. Learn more at investinourland.org.
#