For the long-delayed Federal Farm Bill, there has finally been some movement on the Senate side within the last couple of weeks but prospects for a final bill passage this year are still slim.

In September, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 12-11 to advance the bill. It now waits for a vote by the full Senate.

Back in June we shared an update that the Senate version was a step forward, but does not meet the moment. It includes investments in conservation, specialty crops, local food infrastructure, and rural development. Those are areas that matter to Illinois farmers and to the kind of food system we are working to build.

But it does not go far enough.

When we looked at the Senate proposal earlier this year, ISA said that it largely maintained the status quo rather than making the broader changes needed for a stronger, more regenerative, more local food system. We still believe that.

It leaves many of the underlying problems facing farmers and our food system unchanged.

Want to understand what’s actually in the Senate proposal?

Our friends at the National Sustainable Agriculture dove deep into the bill language and you can read their thorough analysis of the Discussion Draft:

The farm bill still has a long way to go. It needs to pass the full Senate and ultimately be reconciled with the House before becoming law. With major differences between the parties still unresolved, a final Farm Bill this year remains uncertain.

ISA will keep tracking what happens next and will keep members informed about opportunities for you to weigh in.

The Farm Bill can feel like something happening far away in Washington. But the decisions made in it affect the resources farmers can access, the investments made in local food systems, and the policies that shape farming across Illinois.