Sponsor
Michael F. Bennet
Senator · D-CO
Senator · D-CO
The bill makes program eligibility and payments more responsive to actual irrigation failures—helping farmers through short-term water shortages with phased payments and clearer rules—but phases out support for chronically water-limited acres, risks excluding some newer or changing producers, may discourage long-term investment, and adds administrative burden.
Farmers with temporarily water-limited acres can have those acres treated as 'prevented from planting,' letting them remain eligible for disaster program consideration when irrigation sources fail.
Producers receive phased (partial) payments in early years of consecutive water loss (50% then 75%), preserving some farm income and cushioning short-term financial shocks to producers and local rural economies.
Clarifying that lack of water at the irrigation source counts as drought-related prevented planting aligns program rules with on-the-ground shortages, improving fairness and consistency in disaster determinations.
Producers with acreage experiencing long-term irrigation loss risk losing all program payments after 10 consecutive years and becoming permanently ineligible, removing a longstanding source of farm income.
Partial payment reductions that begin in year 5 of consecutive water loss reduce farm revenues during multi-year shortages, increasing financial strain on producers and local economies before full termination.
Requirements that land was previously irrigated and planted to the same crop may exclude newer farmers or those who recently changed crops or practices from relief, creating unequal access to assistance.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Clarifies prevented-planting eligibility for irrigated acres with insufficient water, phases down payments after multiple consecutive years, and requires CCC consultation with local/state committees.
Official title: Direct the Secretary of Agriculture to consider certain acreage not planted due to a lack of irrigation water to be eligible for prevented planting payments, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 23, 2026 by Michael F. Bennet · Last progress June 23, 2026
Requires the Agriculture Secretary (through FSA) to treat acreage as "prevented from planting" when producers reasonably expected insufficient irrigation water but had irrigation infrastructure and a recent history of irrigation and planting for that crop, and the land cannot support dryland farming. Establishes a phased reduction in prevented-planting payments for consecutively impacted acres (50% in years 5–8, 75% in years 9–10, and 100% denial in year 11 and after) and makes acreage permanently ineligible after the 11th year. Directs regulatory revisions to treat lack of water at the irrigation source as drought conditions and to require CCC to consult FSA county and State technical committees when determining certain natural disaster designations.