Ag Policy Blog

WASHINGTON (DTN) -- New Conservation Reserve Program enrollment is now paused as the 2018 farm bill formally expires Sept. 30, leaving USDA without authority to approve new CRP contracts and putting other farm bill programs with expiring authority or funding on hold.

Congress' latest continuing resolution funds the government through Dec. 11 but does not extend the farm bill, leaving programs tied to the 2018 farm bill to expire Sept. 30.

The 2018 farm bill originally expired in 2023 and has now been extended three times -- through fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026, according to the Congressional Research Service.

But this farm bill expiration is different from a typical lapse because the 2025 budget reconciliation law preserved funding for many major programs. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act confirmed baseline spending for crop insurance, SNAP and the majority of other programs through 2031.

CRP, however, is a statutory-authority issue.

If Congress does not extend the authority, USDA cannot continue enrolling new acres simply because money remains available. CRS lists CRP among programs with authority that expires at the end of fiscal 2026.

In a notice sent this week, USDA's Farm Service Agency said Sept. 30 is the deadline for approving CRP contracts. FSA said there is no statutory authority to approve contracts after Sept. 30.

"If legislation is passed that re-authorizes USDA's authority to administer CRP, a new notice will follow with instructions for how to proceed," FSA said.

Beginning Oct. 1, county offices can only complete certain CRP activities for contracts approved before the close of business Sept. 30, and only after state office review and approval.

The farm bill expiration most often discussed is the Jan. 1 return to permanent law from the 1938 and 1949 farm laws, which can set commodity support prices well above market levels, particularly for dairy. That potential price disruption is commonly referred to as the "dairy cliff."

But that is only one part of a farm bill expiration.

WHAT ELSE EXPIRES?

The more immediate concern is programs whose funding or statutory authority expires even though Congress has addressed funding for other farm bill programs.

The 2025 reconciliation law provided $1.014 billion for 19 agricultural programs without a budget baseline through fiscal 2031 -- preventing a lapse that the bill experiences now.

Three programs without a baseline from the 2018 farm bill did not receive new funding in the reconciliation law: the Biobased Markets Program, Biorefinery Assistance Program and Rural Economic Development Program. The Congressional Research Service wrote in a September blog that the Biobased Markets Program is proposed for reauthorization and additional mandatory funding in the House-passed farm bill, while unobligated budget authority for the Biorefinery Assistance Program that was provided in past farm bills was rescinded as an offset in the 2024 farm bill. It is proposed for rescission in the farm bill.

CRS noted that reconciliation rules limited Congress from addressing some policy changes and discretionary programs. The reconciliation law also did not reauthorize all the policies and authorities typically included in a farm bill.

DTN reached out to USDA for clarification on what other programs the department is limited from servicing after Sept. 30. USDA had not responded by publication.

During the previous farm bill expiration in 2025, American Farm Bureau Federation listed programs with limitations.

Among the programs affected last year were:

• Market Access Program
• Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
• Food for Progress
• Biobased Markets Program
• Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels
• Several animal health programs
• Programs for socially disadvantaged, veteran, young and beginning farmers
• Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
• National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program

The Senate Agriculture Committee referred DTN to USDA for specifics on which programs face limitations after Sept. 30. A committee spokesperson said the expiration underscores the need for a new five-year farm bill.

"This serves as a reminder of the urgent need to deliver a new, comprehensive five-year farm bill. Republicans have offered solutions and Democrats need to come to the table so we can work together to pass Farm Bill 2.0," the spokesperson said.

See: USDA CRP Notice: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/…

The Congressional Research Service Report: Programs Without a Budget Baseline

https://www.congress.gov/…

What Happens When a Farm bill Dies (2025): https://www.fb.org/…

Jake Zajkowski can be reached at jake.zajkowski@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @jzajkow

(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.