The federal Farm Bill has expired for a second time, leaving commodity support, conservation and nutrition programs operating under a stopgap that lawmakers have so far failed to replace.

The lapse, reported by Successful Farming, marks the second shutdown of the 2018 Farm Bill in twelve months. Congress first allowed the omnibus package to lapse last year, then passed a one-year extension that ran through the end of fiscal 2024. With reauthorization unfinished, that extension ended without a successor in place.

What programs are at stake?

The Farm Bill authorizes spending across roughly a dozen titles that govern farm income support, working-lands conservation, agricultural research, rural development, trade promotion and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The largest single outlay funds SNAP, which served about 42 million Americans per month in fiscal 2023, roughly one in eight U.S. residents.

Programs affected by the lapse include:

• Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage, the two main Title I commodity safety nets
• Conservation Reserve Program signup authority, which typically requires a Farm Bill to extend enrollment contracts
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program funding cycles under the Conservation Title
• SNAP authorization, which requires periodic reauthorization

Title I commodity support pays out only when market prices fall below statutory reference levels or when county revenue drops sharply. Given strong prices since 2020, total payments to growers have stayed modest, but a renewed downturn would expose how out-of-date the 2018 triggers have become.

What does the lapse change for farmers?

For most growers, the practical change is limited in the short term. The 2018 commodity election remains in force, and crop insurance continues under a permanent authorization that does not require a Farm Bill. ARC and PLC payments will calculate against the same reference prices that have been in place since 2019.

The 2018 reference prices set corn at $3.70 a bushel, wheat at $5.50 and soybeans at $8.40, levels that have not kept pace with input costs that have climbed more than 30 percent since 2019.

The bigger effect hits new sign-ups. CRP general signup has been closed since the lapse. EQIP funding cycles tied to the Conservation Title face uncertainty for the coming fiscal year. Producers who want to lock in a 2025 PLC or ARC election will need to wait for a new bill or extension to confirm those choices.

Why are negotiations still unresolved?

Conference talks have split over three issues that have proven resistant to compromise. The House version raises PLC reference prices for major program crops. The Senate version funds nutrition benefits through a smaller adjustment to the Thrifty Food Plan. Both chambers have widened conservation program baselines above the 2018 level.

Reference prices sit at the center of the dispute because they determine the trigger that releases Title I payments when market prices fall. A higher reference price raises the floor for farm income but also raises the projected ten-year cost. The gap between House and Senate marks remains unresolved.

Farm groups have split on the reference-price question. Commodity organizations broadly back higher PLC triggers as a hedge against future price drops. Smaller-scale and conservation-focused groups favor tighter payment limits and stronger conservation ties.

What comes next?

Lawmakers have three paths. They can pass a new five-year Farm Bill. They can pass another extension. They can allow permanent law from 1938 and 1949 to take effect for the commodity title, which would force dairy price supports back to Depression-era calculations.

The path chosen will shape farm income support for the next five years and signal whether the conference committee can bridge its remaining differences before the next planting season.