Rethinking the Farm Bill: Tell Us Where Our Beef Comes From
Congress could bring back Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef in the farm bill—and ranchers like Carrie Richards say it’s long overdue.
The 2026 Farm Bill will help decide whether independent farmers get a fair shot or the biggest corporations keep tightening their grip on our food supply.
The Farm Bill sets the rules for how food is grown, sold, and supported in this country. It shapes what gets funded and who benefits.
What we’re pushing for:
For decades, the farm bill has been where Congress makes the big decisions that shape our food system.
This year, many of the biggest funding decisions were made through other legislation. But the farm bill still matters: It will focus less on new spending and more on the rules that determine who benefits and who gets left out. It’s an opportunity to ensure farm policy serves the public, not special interests, and to support independent farmers, healthy food, and U.S. food security.
We’ve identified seven policy priorities where these rule changes can make a real difference.
Use federal procurement to support producers and supply chains that strengthen rural communities, improve public health, and build a more resilient food system.
Strengthen competition, transparency, and innovation across the food and agriculture system by addressing consolidation, input costs, and market abuses.
Support decentralized processing, aggregation, and distribution that strengthen farmer viability, competition, and access to healthy, locally produced food.
Ensure diversified and specialty crop producers can access risk management tools so they can stay viable and meet growing demand.
Align conservation programs and technical assistance to help farmers adopt practices that improve soil health and deliver long-term environmental and economic benefits.
Protect state authority to set and enforce food, farming, and animal welfare standards that create market opportunity for independent farmers.
Preserve accountability for pesticide-related harms by opposing proposals that grant manufacturers legal immunity and weaken protections for farmers, workers, and communities.
Restore MCOOL requirements for beef so U.S. producers can compete on a level playing field and consumers can choose to support them with clear, accurate labeling.
This farm bill will be smaller than past versions because many of the biggest spending decisions were made last year. But what’s left still matters.
These decisions will shape whether independent farmers can compete, whether communities have access to healthy, locally grown food, and whether the system works for Big Ag or the public.
Read the full blog to understand what’s at stake.
In our new blog series, we’ll explore how our policy priorities play out on the ground—featuring farmers and ranchers from across the country who are working within a food system dominated by a handful of powerful corporations.
Congress could bring back Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef in the farm bill—and ranchers like Carrie Richards say it’s long overdue.
Missouri farmer Bob Street says Prop 12 helped keep his independent hog farm in business, and is urging Congress not to overturn it in the 2026 Farm Bill.
Farmer Greg Gunthorp says U.S. government food purchases could boost rural communities and improve food quality if sourced through local, independent producers.
Why do we import so much food into some of the best farmland in the world? Indiana farmer Greg Gunthorp explains how a system built around feed and fuel has left local food production behind, and how government food purchasing could help rebuild local and regional food systems.
Independent hog farmer Bob Street is urging Congress to keep Prop 12 in place, warning that repealing it would push more small farms out while helping large corporations gain more power. He says losing independent farms makes the food system more fragile and harms rural communities.
California rancher Carrie Richards says consumers can’t tell where their beef comes from, enabling cheaper imports to undercut U.S. producers. She says restoring Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef would help level the playing field for ranchers like her.
For decades, the farm bill has been where Congress makes the big decisions that shape our food system.
This year, many of the biggest funding decisions were made through other legislation. But the farm bill still matters: It will focus less on new spending and more on the rules that determine who benefits and who gets left out. It’s an opportunity to ensure farm policy serves the public, not special interests, and to support independent farmers, healthy food, and U.S. food security.
We’ve identified seven policy priorities where these rule changes can make a real difference.
Use federal procurement to support producers and supply chains that strengthen rural communities, improve public health, and build a more resilient food system.
Strengthen competition, transparency, and innovation across the food and agriculture system by addressing consolidation, input costs, and market abuses.
Support decentralized processing, aggregation, and distribution that strengthen farmer viability, competition, and access to healthy, locally produced food.
Ensure diversified and specialty crop producers can access risk management tools so they can stay viable and meet growing demand.
Align conservation programs and technical assistance to help farmers adopt practices that improve soil health and deliver long-term environmental and economic benefits.
Protect state authority to set and enforce food, farming, and animal welfare standards that create market opportunity for independent farmers.
Preserve accountability for pesticide-related harms by opposing proposals that grant manufacturers legal immunity and weaken protections for farmers, workers, and communities.
Restore MCOOL requirements for beef so U.S. producers can compete on a level playing field and consumers can choose to support them with clear, accurate labeling.
“This is the most important farm bill in the nine generations my family has farmed. Right now, we can come together around Farm Action’s priorities, or risk losing more family farms.”
“Farmers across the country share many of the same challenges and concerns. This platform captures the shared need for a farming system that’s more transparent, resilient, and profitable.”
“I have directly experienced the deterioration and near-collapse of our agricultural system due to decades of abusive market practices, lax antitrust law enforcement, and growing monopoly control. Supporting strong local and regional food infrastructure is key to rebuilding a system that works for farmers, and Farm Action’s farm bill priorities help chart a path forward.”
“For over 40 years, we’ve watched farmers' rights and choices be eroded. Along with those being eroded, we’ve watched rural communities be hollowed out by the extraction of our wealth. If there’s one thing I understand, bringing in the next generation requires sustainability, and that requires making a profit. We need a farm bill that respects our hard work and protects our ability to make profits.”
