On June 23, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) introduced the Senate version of the 2026 Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026. Major portions of the Senate discussion draft are similar to the House version that passed back in April. For Regional Development Organizations (RDOs), this bill represents an opportunity to influence federal policy that shapes everyday life in rural America.
What is the Farm Bill?
The Farm Bill is the major legislative package that sets federal policy, and funding, for agriculture, nutrition, conservation, research, forestry, and rural development. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the last five-year authorization, provided over $428 billion in funding over five years for a broad range of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs.
Programs authorized in the Farm Bill strengthen rural infrastructure, deliver essential public services to rural residents, protect our nation’s food supply, provide access to healthy food for low-income populations through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and empower locally led environmental stewardship and conservation initiatives.
How We Got Here
Since its expiration in 2023, the 2018 Farm Bill has been extended multiple times and is now set to again expire on September 30, 2026. With the deadline looming, the House Agriculture Committee released the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 on February 13, 2026. The committee then advanced the bill on March 5, 2026, with a bipartisan 34–17 vote after a lengthy markup process, that included more than 100 amendments. The full House passed the bill on April 30, by a more contested vote of 224–200.
What’s in the Senate Bill: Major Provisions for RDOs
The discussion draft spans twelve titles, reauthorizing and reforming USDA programs through fiscal year (FY) 2031. Title VI (Rural Development) carries the most direct relevance for RDOs, covering rural broadband, water and wastewater infrastructure, community facilities, rural business development grants, and the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) program. Below is an analysis of the provisions with the greatest implications for RDOs.
Title VI – Rural Development
Title VI is the heart of this legislation for rural economic development activities. Organized under three subtitles — the Rural Electrification Act, the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, and a Miscellaneous subtitle — it touches nearly every program RDOs regularly work with or help member communities access.
Sec. 6101 – Streamlining Broadband Authorities
This provision seeks to consolidate existing USDA broadband authorities under a codified ReConnect program, which has operated as a pilot since 2018. The provision targets funding toward areas where 90 percent of households lack access to broadband service at speeds of 25/3 Mbps or less and sets a minimum build-to-speed requirement of 100/20 Mbps for new projects. It emphasizes improved coordination with federal agencies and states to eliminate overbuilding and streamlines the application process. The program is authorized at $100 million per year through FY 2031.
RDO Relevance: The streamlined application process and improved federal/state coordination directly reduce a longstanding administrative burden for RDOs helping members apply for broadband infrastructure funding.
Sec. 6103 – Community Connect Grant Program
Raises the Community Connect build-to-speed requirement to 100/20 Mbps and directs funding specifically toward areas with service below 25/3 Mbps.
RDO Relevance: Community Connect is a distinct program from ReConnect, with its own eligibility standard. RDOs that are helping their regions submit applications should track which program fits which service gap now that both carry the same 100/20 Mbps build standard.
Sec. 6104 – Last Mile Broadband Deployment
Establishes a new Last Mile Broadband Deployment (“Last Acre”) program to provide grants and loans for deploying broadband to farm and ranch land, supporting precision agriculture adoption.
RDO Relevance: This creates a new entry point for rural communities and RDOs helping them build digital infrastructure from the ground up. This is distinct from general last-mile deployment work, which is historically aimed only at households.
Sec. 6201 – Water, Waste Disposal, and Wastewater Facility Grants
Increases the maximum financing amount from $200,000 to $500,000 and doubles the authorization of appropriations to $30 million through FY 2031.
RDO Relevance: A significant increase in per-project financing capacity for the water and wastewater infrastructure work RDOs help their regions plan and finance.
Sec. 6203 – Rural Water, Wastewater, and Waste Disposal Facility Direct Loans
Prioritizes direct loans for water and waste disposal facilities to low-income rural communities under 10,000 in population.
RDO Relevance: A direct benefit to the small, underserved communities RDOs exist to serve.
Sec. 6204 – Rural Water and Wastewater Technical Assistance and Training Programs
Establishes a funding floor of 3 percent and a ceiling of 10 percent reserved from water, waste disposal, and wastewater facility grant appropriations for the Technical Assistance (TA) and Training grant program.
RDO Relevance: Sets a guaranteed funding band for the TA and training work RDOs often deliver alongside infrastructure grants.
Sec. 6206 – Rural Water and Wastewater Cybersecurity Circuit Rider Program
Establishes a new program at $10 million annually through FY 2031 to help small and rural water systems protect critical infrastructure against cybersecurity threats.
RDO Relevance: Addresses an emerging vulnerability for small rural systems and creates a potential new technical assistance opportunity for RDOs.
Sec. 6207 – Tribal College and University Community Facilities
Extends the authorization of appropriations through FY 2031.
RDO Relevance: Reauthorization only; relevant for RDOs partnering with Tribal colleges and universities on community facilities projects.
Sec. 6208 – Essential Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training
Directs the Secretary to use not less than 2 percent of funding to award grants for on-site technical assistance and training delivered on a national or multi-state regional basis.
RDO Relevance: RDOs are naturally positioned to deliver TA and training through a multi-state, regional model, and this provision guarantees a funding floor for that delivery approach.
Sec. 6209 – Emergency Preparedness and Response Technical Assistance Program
Creates a new program to help communities that lack financial resources or staff capacity prepare for, restore, and protect critical water and wastewater services before and after natural or manmade disasters.
RDO Relevance: A capacity-building function well aligned with the disaster planning and recovery work regional planning agencies already do for member communities.
Sec. 6211 – Community Facilities Direct and Guaranteed Loans for Health Care Services
Expands Community Facilities loan eligibility to healthcare providers not located in a rural area, provided more than 50 percent of their patient interactions involve individuals in frontier or remote areas.
RDO Relevance: A practical fix for regional health systems serving rural populations from non-rural hubs — relevant for RDOs coordinating regional healthcare access strategies.
Sec. 6213 – Additional Assistance for Rural Water Systems
Allows USDA to award grants, zero percent or one percent interest loans, forgiveness, or refinancing to eligible rural water systems in disadvantaged or economically distressed communities.
RDO Relevance: New flexible financing tools RDOs can bring to distressed member communities working on water infrastructure.
Sec. 6218 – Rural Business Development Grants
Gives USDA the ability to award multiyear grants of up to five years.
RDO Relevance: Allows for more meaningful, sustained technical assistance relationships with rural businesses and organizations, rather than the normal year-to-year approach.
Sec. 6219 – Rural Cooperative Development Grants
Clarifies the definition of “cooperative development” to explicitly include outreach, education, training, and technical assistance for the startup, expansion, and sustainability of cooperatives.
RDO Relevance: Formally recognizes activities RDOs often directly provide or facilitate.
Sec. 6222 – Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zones
Reauthorizes the program through FY 2031.
RDO Relevance: RDOs in REAP-designated regions will continue to have this tool for coordinating multi-jurisdictional rural economic development strategies.
Sec. 6223 – Intermediary Relending Program
Extends the authorization of appropriations through FY 2031.
RDO Relevance: Represents continuity of an existing funding stream for RDOs who operate as intermediary lenders. It does not include reporting or administrative relief, a priority NADO continues to advocate for inclusion in a final bill.
Sec. 6230 – Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP)
Increases the loan ceiling from $50,000 to $75,000 and permits the federal cost share to reach up to 100 percent for some projects.
RDO Relevance: Improves access for very small rural businesses in the most distressed areas RDOs serve.
Sec. 6232 – Strategic Community Investment Plans
Expands the program to authorize technical assistance grants helping rural communities pursue long-term infrastructure planning, access federal funding, and evaluate voluntary regional water and wastewater solutions. Additionally, it increases the authorization from $5 million to $10 million per year through 2031.
RDO Relevance: One of the most interesting provisions, and potential opportunity, for NADO members. The program’s language, regional infrastructure planning, federal funding navigation, voluntary regional solutions with local control preserved, inherently describes the work RDOs already provide. This expanded eligible use should allow more communities to directly engage their RDO for specific TA work related to long-term infrastructure planning.
Sec. 6233 – Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program
Extends the program and expands eligibility to support career pathway programs and industry or sector partnerships promoting skills development and training.
RDO Relevance: Broadens a program already well-suited to regional intermediaries, opening new partnership possibilities for RDOs already engaged in workforce development.
Sec. 6234 – Rural Development Innovation Center (RDIC)
Codifies the Innovation Center within USDA’s rural development mission area and tasks it with reviewing all rural development programs for inefficiencies, redundancies, and barriers to access — including “overly burdensome application processes that prohibit participation.”
RDO Relevance: No immediate, or direct, impact, but worth tracking closely. The Innovation Center’s findings could shape future program redesign and administrative reform across the programs RDOs help members access.
Sec. 6235 – Rural Business Investment Program
Extends the authorization of appropriations through FY 2031.
RDO Relevance: Straight reauthorization, no programmatic changes.
Sec. 6316 – Annual Efficiency Report
Requires the Secretary to produce an annual report cataloging all USDA statutory programs and authorities devoted to economic development, identifying every relevant office or entity, and recommending consolidation or sunsetting of duplicative programs.
RDO Relevance: A useful planning and advocacy tool for RDOs engaged in federal program navigation and member technical assistance.
Sec. 6314 – Interagency Task Force on Outdoor Recreation Coordination
Creates a task force directing federal agencies to identify ways to make programs supporting hospitality, tourism, and outdoor recreation in rural communities more accessible to local communities seeking to leverage those opportunities for job creation and sustained economic growth.
RDO Relevance: NADO members with tourism and recreation economies in their regions should watch this closely as an emerging coordination and advocacy opportunity.
Beyond Title VI: Other Provisions RDOs Should Watch
While Title VI holds the majority of provisions that are important to RDOs, several provisions in other titles also carry implications for RDOs.
Title II – Conservation: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
There are several sections in title II worth noting, including:
RDO Relevance: The negotiated indirect cost rate fix (15 percent) is an important technical correction for RDOs whose federally negotiated rates often exceed the flat 10 percent ceiling currently in place. The broadened eligible-entity definition and new purpose areas (flood resiliency, drought, wildlife connectivity) may open new project framing for RDO-supported conservation work.
Title V – Credit: Farm Credit and Rural Infrastructure Finance
Sec. 5103 allows a bank for cooperatives to make loans and provide technical assistance to cooperatives and public or private entities operating facilities in rural areas for waste processing or electricity production. Sec. 5104 provides new authority for Farm Credit System institutions to work with community banks to offer financing and technical assistance for essential community facilities in rural areas.
RDO Relevance: Expands the rural infrastructure finance toolkit. For RDOs helping communities understand their financing options, these expanded authorities represent new partnership opportunities alongside USDA’s direct loan and grant programs.
Title VII – Research, Extension, and Workforce Development
Sec. 7507 updates the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to include workforce training and development as a priority area and broadens grant eligibility to community and junior colleges.
RDO Relevance: RDOs routinely partner with community colleges on workforce initiatives; this provision strengthens that pipeline and builds the rural talent base that RDO-supported small businesses need to grow.
Title IX – Energy: Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
Sec. 9007 authorizes grants to organizations that provide technical assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses applying to REAP, establishes a rebate pilot for energy-efficient equipment purchases made outside the standard application window, doubles the eligible project size cap from $25 million to $50 million, and directs a simplified application process for projects under $50,000.
RDO Relevance: The technical assistance provider grant authorization is a potential new funding source for REAP application assistance that some RDOs already provide to producers and small businesses.
Next Steps for RDOs
The Agricultural Act of 2026 still faces conference negotiations, floor votes, and appropriations alignment before enactment, all while battling a shrinking congressional calendar before the 119th Congress concludes. NADO will continue to track the bill and engage with negotiators on the provisions that matter most to RDOs and share updated analysis and advocacy guidance as it moves. Members with a stake in specific programs should be in touch with their congressional delegation and with NADO to ensure regional priorities are included in the final product.