The Senate Agriculture Committee advances the Agricultural Act of 2026 out of committee
Sep 18, 2026, 2:25 PM ET
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The Senate Agriculture Committee marked a major milestone yesterday in advancing the Agricultural Act of 2026 out of committee on a 12-11 party-line vote. The advancement of the bill triggers a conference committee between the Senate's version and the House version, which passed in April. The next step will be the selection of conference committee members for both the House and Senate.
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative is urging timely and bipartisan action to finalize the remaining portions of the long-awaited farm bill. Edge Board President Heidi Fischer emphasized that while the committee's action is an important step toward delivering certainty to dairy farmers and rural communities, Congress still has work to do before a new farm bill becomes law.
Key provisions of particular interest to Edge members include reauthorizing the Dairy Indemnity Payment Program through 2031, removing the sunset date to make the Dairy Forward Pricing Program permanent, increasing funding for Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives, and codifying mandatory reporting of dairy product processing costs. Edge has been actively engaging with lawmakers from both chambers and parties to safeguard these priorities.
Fischer noted that dairy farmers have operated under an outdated farm bill for years while facing rising costs and market uncertainty, stressing the need for a final bipartisan bill that strengthens safety net programs. While a large fiscal portion of the farm bill was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this year, final passage of the Agricultural Act of 2026 will solidify important farm and food programs for the next five years.
Adam Hess has been involved in radio broadcasting since 1990, with many of those years spent on the air at WRCO FM in Richland Center. Currently, Adam hosts the Weekend Wake-up and Prime Mover Saturdays on WRCO FM, jumps in and helps out with news duties, handles Social Media duties for WRCO and WRCE, and is the Director of Technology at a Southwest Wisconsin School District. Reach him at adam.hess@civicmedia.us.
Todd Coppernoll oversees local news for WRCO and WRCE radio in Richland Center. Having served Richland Center as Mayor for three terms, Todd brings a unique perspective, and a familiar voice to the news. The focus is local, and so is the reporter.
