Congress is in the midst of using the budget reconciliation process to work through and potentially pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed its version -  H.R.1 One Big Beautiful Bill Act - which now sits with the U.S. Senate. The Senate is expected to make changes, the extent of which are unknown. The House will need to approve any changes made by the Senate before the bill can move to the President’s desk for signature and then become law.  A final bill may look significantly different than H.R.1 discussed below.

The scope of H.R.1  is broad, however there are aspects that impact beginning farmers most acutely – (1) the tax provisions and (2) the agriculture provisions that would typically be included in a farm bill. 

The New Producer Economic Security Act[1] (H.R.2536, S.1237 ) was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate on April 1, 2025. If included in the next farm bill, the legislation would create the New Producer Economic Security Program housed within the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office and Education.

The bill seeks to address key obstacles faced by beginning farmers, including access to land, capital and markets by funding projects that:

Update:  The recording and slide deck from USDA's April 23, 2025 webinar are posted on USDA's website https://www.farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers under Webinars for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers.

 

USDA Hosting Online Webinar for Beginning Farmers on April 23, 2025

Several USDA programs are available to beginning farmers. USDA defines a beginning farmer as someone who has operated a farm or ranch for less than 10 years. USDA is hosting a webinar for beginning farmers on Thursday, April 23, 2025, at 2:00 PM Central Time. The purpose of the webinar is for beginning farmers to learn more about USDA programs and how to get started working with USDA. There is no cost to attend the webinar, but registration is required. Register for the Webinar