A new draft farm bill is finally here—and it’s a big deal for everyone, not just agricultural policy wonks.

The farm bill is a massive legislative package that dictates the programs, funding, and provisions that impact our farmers, food systems, and agricultural sector. It’s meant to be renewed every five years, but it’s been nearly eight since the last one was passed, and three since it expired.

In other words, we’re long overdue for a renewal—but the draft bill on the table, introduced by the House Agricultural Committee just last week, has huge giveaways for Big Ag and the Fossil Fuel Industry at the expense of farmers and the public.

Here are just a few of the areas we’re concerned about:

• The draft bill protects pesticide companies from litigation and overturns state and local pesticide laws. Currently, civilians can sue pesticide companies for harm caused by their products, and state and local governments can set their own restrictions on pesticide use. The draft farm bill includes language that would not only make it harder for civilians to take legal action but also overturn state and local laws that prevent pesticide use near schools, parks, and wildlife habitats.

• It places further limits on solar projects.  Good grief!  Agrivoltaic systems are a win-win, enabling farmers and communities to grow food and produce energy simultaneously. While the draft farm bill does support further research on agrivoltaics, it also reduces funding for solar projects on farmland and prohibits funding for solar components from foreign entities of concern.

• It also limits funding for vital programs and research. The bill fails to expand popular, oversubscribed conservation programs that reward environmental stewardship and climate-smart practices, such as the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The bill also falls short on the research front, failing to include additional funding for sustainable and organic research programs.

But there’s an even bigger elephant in the room.

The bill does nothing to reverse the massive SNAP rollbacks from last year or address how major changes at the Department of Agriculture have impacted vital programs, agricultural research, and agency services. Even after the markup process, during which legislators debate and edit different parts of the bill, the odds of it clearing the Senate’s 60-vote hurdle are next to none.

It’s a draft that puts us between a rock and a hard place.

We urgently need a new farm bill. Funding for some programs has been at the same level since 2018, and the only reason so many programs have continued past that 2023 expiration date is thanks to reauthorizations in continuing resolutions and other spending packages.

At the same time, we need a farm bill that gets it right.

The draft bill is loaded with poison pills and industry handouts and will do little to help our farmers, food system, and communities navigate today’s challenges.

For a new bill to truly meet the moment, it needs to address the ever-worsening effects of climate change, the impacts of Trump’s erratic tariffs and rising costs, and the setbacks farmers have faced as a result of grant terminations, funding delays, and contract cancellations.

Join us as we fight for the farm bill we deserve!