By Clint Thompson
The passage of the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 through the House Ag Committee is a positive sign the next farm bill will be enacted into law sooner rather than later. At least that’s the optimistic viewpoint shared by Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council and co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA).
His group is hopeful a new farm bill will be in place by the end of the year.
“We are eternally optimistic, and we want to take every possible opportunity to gather up every allied voice on Capitol Hill who want to see a farm bill get to the president’s desk; we want to work with them,” Quarles said. “We recognize we’re three years past the expiration of the current farm bill, so we really need to see updated farm policy.
“Right now, our farm policy was written almost a decade ago. A lot has changed in agriculture in the intervening time. We need a farm bill that makes us competitive, not only right now considering our current situation but also can look out 10 years in the future at some of the challenges that are likely going to be coming and the flexibilities that are necessary in farm policy to make sure that American farmers have the ability to compete against increasingly competitive foreign operations. We want the U.S. to remain the agriculture powerhouse of the world.”
Farm Bill
The farm bill is a piece of legislation that is renewed every five years. President Trump signed the current farm bill into law on Dec. 20, 2018.
Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance
The SCFBA is co-chaired by Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association; Mike Joyner, President of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council.