Sponsors (4)
Official title: To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish an Office of Small Farms, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Marilyn Strickland · Last progress February 12, 2026
The bill channels modest, targeted funding and coordinated USDA support to help small farms, ranches, and forest operations access aid and programs, trading off modest new federal spending and administrative complexity for limited-but-direct financial and technical assistance whose value depends on fair rules and competent implementation.
Small farms, ranches, and forest operations gain direct targeted grants (up to $25,000) for equipment, uninsured losses, business planning, conservation adoption, or down payments on land.
USDA will provide more coordinated support and technical assistance (state coordinators and agency liaisons) to improve outreach and help small operations access grants, loans, and conservation programs.
The bill creates and authorizes dedicated funding (administration and grant/TA funding) to operate the new office and programs, providing predictable resources for several years.
Taxpayers will fund new authorizations (roughly $25 million per year through FY2031), increasing federal spending.
The $25,000 per-grant cap may be insufficient for many recovery, infrastructure, or land-acquisition needs faced by some small operations.
Grant criteria and broad Secretary discretion (including alternate acreage definitions and 'other purposes') could produce uneven eligibility and opaque award decisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a USDA Office of Small Farms with a Director to coordinate support, review barriers, set research/data priorities, and run a grants program with awards up to $25,000.
Creates a new Office of Small Farms inside USDA's Farm Production and Conservation mission area, led by a Director, to coordinate and improve department support for small farms, ranches, and forest operations. The office will define small operations by acreage or state/region rules plus an annual gross cash farm income cap, review USDA programs for barriers, recommend new initiatives, propose data and research priorities, provide technical assistance and succession planning, and run a grants program with awards no larger than $25,000 for specified needs. The law mainly authorizes the office, sets its duties and definitions, and establishes a small grants program and coordination role across USDA agencies; it does not specify appropriations or emergency funding in the text provided.