Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas says he is ready to negotiate a so-called Farm Bill 2.0 with the House, and he is calling on Democrats to provide immediate help in finalizing and advancing the legislation, according to the Oklahoma Farm Report.

Boozman, the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, framed the next farm bill effort as a negotiation that can move only if both chambers and both parties engage now. His appeal to Democrats signals that Senate Republicans see bipartisan cooperation as the practical path to getting a bill across the finish line.

What does Boozman's statement change?

The Arkansas Republican's willingness to enter House negotiations marks a shift from positioning to deal-making on the next farm bill package. By naming Democrats as the actors whose "immediate help" is needed, Boozman puts the onus on the minority party to bring priorities — typically nutrition title funding and conservation programs — to the table in exchange for movement on commodity and crop insurance provisions that farm-state Republicans have pushed.

The reference to "Farm Bill 2.0" follows the scaled-down, nutrition-focused legislation Congress passed in lieu of a full five-year reauthorization, leaving commodity programs, crop insurance and other titles carrying over under extended law.

What happens next?

Boozman's call sets up the House and Senate Agriculture committees as the venues for drafting a broader bill. The pace will depend on whether Democrats take up the invitation and whether leadership in both chambers schedules floor time for a measure that has eluded Congress across multiple extensions.