The expiration of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and other farm bill programs not included in this summer's reconciliation legislation is fueling widespread concern in the U.S. ag sector. Without reauthorization, the USDA lost its ability to enroll new CRP contracts on October 1, though existing contracts can still be serviced-with some functions disrupted by the ongoing federal government shutdown.

House Ag Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) has floated the idea of a "skinny" farm bill to cover the gaps left by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, no legislative action has been scheduled. On the Senate side, Ag Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) noted that roughly 80% of the farm bill was addressed through reconciliation, but the remaining programs still need a legislative vehicle for passage.

"We've got to finish the farm bill, and so we'll be looking for a vehicle. I don't know exactly what it will be," Boozman told Agri-Pulse.

With Congress preoccupied with appropriations bills and national defense legislation, the farm bill appears sidelined until at least late 2025. This creates a time crunch as landowners and tenants prepare to renegotiate leases, a process deeply affected by CRP's uncertain future.

Jonathan Coppess, agriculture policy professor at the University of Illinois, called CRP's expiration "a really big issue" and warned of consequences if CRP acres return to production at a time when U.S. export markets are weakened. "The last thing we need are acres coming out of CRP and going back into crop production," he said.

Andrew Schmidt, director of government affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, emphasized that about 1.5 million CRP acres are set to expire in 2026, with another 1.3 million expiring in 2027. He warned that landowners now face major obstacles in re-enrolling due to the program's halted status.

"They want to go in right away and know that there's a place for them in the program, and they can't do that until it reopens," said Schmidt.

Currently, the program holds around 26.6 million acres, just shy of its 27-million-acre cap. While the USDA can still manage existing contracts, the lapse interrupts future conservation planning and reduces options for environmentally sensitive land.

Meanwhile, over 260 farm organizations have urged Congress to pass a full farm bill, arguing that while reconciliation included some critical provisions, it cannot replace a comprehensive legislative package.