The 2018 Farm Bill expired September 30, 2024, ending the multi-year authorization framework that governs USDA commodity payments, conservation programs, nutrition assistance, rural development and agricultural research. Without enacted successor legislation, producers, cooperatives and input retailers now face a transition period with measurable consequences for 2025 crop economics.

The lapse arrives alongside a question about sulphur, the secondary macronutrient whose agronomic role has drawn industry attention. AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST framed both developments in a recent segment, asking "What is going on with sulphur?" while Congress works through reauthorization.

What changes with the lapse?

• Title I: Congress reauthorized ARC and PLC under the 2018 Bill for the 2019 through 2023 crop years, then extended authority for 2024. New sign-up authority for 2025 crops depends on a new bill or further extension.
• Conservation: Conservation Reserve Program general sign-up authority expired September 30. Existing EQIP and CSP contracts continue, but new enrollments require reauthorization.
• Crop insurance: The Federal Crop Insurance Act is permanent law and operates independently of the Farm Bill; premium subsidy authority remains in effect.
• Nutrition: SNAP continues operating through contingency funds pending Congressional action.
• Research and extension: Several land-grant research lines and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research require reauthorization to maintain current funding.

Why does sulphur matter now?

Sulphur has drawn increased attention as atmospheric deposition from coal-fired generation has declined under emissions rules. Crops remove sulphur in quantities that exceed deposition alone in many rotations, and soil test summaries from Midwestern laboratories have flagged a rising share of samples below critical thresholds. Canola and wheat are particularly responsive; corn and soybean responses have surfaced in scattered reports across the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains.

Retail agronomists have responded by expanding ammonium-sulphate and elemental sulphur inventories. The Ag Information Network segment presented sulphur as an open question rather than a confirmed trend, noting that retailer survey data and 2025 soil test results will set the direction.

What happens without reauthorization?

Several commodity programs revert on paper to provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and the Agricultural Act of 1949 — a mechanism that would, in theory, require USDA to support dairy, wheat, cotton and other commodities at parity-era price levels. Congress has consistently preempted permanent law through extensions since the early 2000s, and another stopgap remains the most likely near-term outcome.

What should growers track next?

• Congressional movement on a 2024 Farm Bill conference report or further extension
• USDA program guidance for 2025 ARC/PLC enrollment and CRP general sign-ups
• Spring 2025 soil test summaries from commercial laboratories
• Retail sulphur product pricing and availability through winter

The dual story — policy lapse and nutrient question — will set the agenda for winter meetings between growers, cooperatives and input retailers. Until reauthorization clears, the Farm Bill backdrop remains a structural variable in 2025 crop planning, while sulphur data from the 2024 harvest will determine whether the nutrient moves from open question to confirmed management shift.