Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., says Republican aides from both chambers have already started farm bill discussions and he expects bipartisan negotiations to begin during the fall recess that starts later this week and runs through the first week of November.

The goal is a farm bill passed in the final weeks before the new congressional session begins in January. Boozman pressed Democrats to come to the table now.

"We'll be talking with members of our committee and conferencing this thing," Boozman told an Arkansas Farm Bureau podcast late last week. "We won't wait until we come back, we'll do that right now, so we'll be ready to go."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the Agriculture Committee's top Democrat, says her party wants to resolve differences and pass a farm bill this year. But every Democratic member of the panel voted against the legislation amid partisan disagreement over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., chair of the Senate Appropriations agriculture panel and a Senate Ag Committee member, told Agri-Pulse Newsmakers he expects the partisan differences to be ironed out and the bill to pass after the midterm elections.

"I've talked to Republicans and Democrats, and you know, obviously the issue's been SNAP," Hoeven says. "We've offered them a very fair compromise, and I really think we get it done in the lame duck."

President Donald Trump has called on congressional leaders to pass a farm bill as soon as possible.

Input costs sharpen the stakes

The legislative timeline lands against a backdrop of rising input costs. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., a House Ag Committee member, put the pressure on producers in concrete terms over the weekend.

"Fertilizer prices are up 15% this year. Diesel is up 80%," Budzinski said on social media. "The Iran war and trade wars are driving these costs — and our farmers are absorbing every bit of it. We need to end this war and get a farm bill done."

The watch item this week: any sign that bipartisan farm bill talks have started in a serious way.

Cramer eases hold over drain tile restrictions

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer has agreed to release his procedural hold on Health and Human Services deputy secretary nominee Chris Klomp, citing progress in talks with Fish and Wildlife Service officials over loosening drain tiling restrictions on land near wetland easements.

At a press conference Friday following a roundtable with North Dakota farmers and FWS officials, the Republican said he will lift his holds incrementally as progress is made on the restrictions, which have frustrated farmers facing water and salinity issues that have cut their yields. He said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed Friday to "fix the setback rule clearly."

"I will not lift my hold on all of them until there's an outcome that is satisfactory to the farmers that have been for 60+ years abused by the Fish and Wildlife Service and their federal partners," Cramer said. He added that he sees "a possibility, a path, where I could lift my holds."

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring sounded optimistic about reaching a deal with FWS over the drain tile setbacks.

"I'm hoping we can resolve this," he said. "It seems so close you can almost taste it. I probably have the most positive feelings towards this than I've ever had before — so we'll see where this lands."

Senate bill targets PFAS in food packaging

Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., have introduced a bill to ban "forever chemicals" used to repel grease and liquids in some food wrappers and packaging. The measure would bar food packaging containing intentionally added PFAS from interstate commerce by Jan. 1, 2028.

Since February 2024, grease-proofing substances containing PFAS are no longer sold in the U.S. for food packaging, according to FDA.

Schumer moves to roll back Canada tariffs

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday introduced the End Trump's Tariff Tax Act, which would roll back the president's 50% levies on Canada and end the administration's global tariffs.

"While inflation rages, families struggle to pay their bills, and small businesses close, Trump — detached from reality — continues his bluster on the global stage, doubling down on a chaotic trade war that has meant only pain for American families, farmers, and manufacturers," Schumer said.

The bill would repeal two key trade authorities the administration used to tariff Canada and to temporarily impose global levies. It would also terminate the 10% to 12.5% tariffs on 60 economies for failing to effectively enforce the prohibition on goods made with forced labor. The measure, backed by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Michael Bennet, D-Co., would require Customs and Border Protection to refund duties with interest to importers, prioritizing small businesses.

Diesel export ban unlikely; fuel economy rules coming

As Republicans and Democrats in Congress call for a ban on U.S. diesel exports to ease high fuel prices, Energy Secretary Chris Wright says a "blanket ban on diesel" is not likely, speaking on Heatmap's Shift Key podcast.

The Iowa Corn Growers Association is pushing a separate idea: an IRS waiver allowing on-road truckers to use tax-exempt, off-road diesel. Opening up the red-dyed farm fuel to truckers could save 55 cents a gallon in Iowa and as much as 70 cents a gallon in other states, according to Iowa Corn.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says new fuel economy standards approved by Trump will be unveiled Monday. "A major victory for America's auto workers is COMING MONDAY," Duffy said on social media, after Trump said he approved new standards that abolish former President Joe Biden's "ridiculous EV mandate."

Whether the farm bill negotiations Boozman expects actually begin during the recess — and whether a SNAP compromise holds — will determine if producers enter 2026 with updated policy or another extension.