House farm bill gains win for WA specialty crops, but Senate fight looms

WASHINGTON - Washington's specialty crop growers stand to gain from roughly $1 billion in federal support under the House Republican farm bill - if Congress can break through a partisan impasse over food assistance cuts and agricultural spending.

"We, a lot of times, get forgotten. We - as in specialty crops - aren't top of mind when people are writing the farm bill," Rep. Dan Newhouse, a third-generation Yakima farmer, told The Seattle Times hours before the U.S. House passed its version of the massive legislation late last month. "I've been working my whole time here to increase the research and promotion budgets, and we've been able to do that."

The House's Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 directs about $1 billion for programs supporting specialty crop research, expanding global markets and protecting crops from pests and disease.

It's a boon for Washington state, where specialty crops drive much of the farm economy. Commodity crops such as corn and soybeans tend to dominate farm-bill negotiations, Newhouse said. "Specialty crops are left to fend for themselves with the crumbs, so there's several things that we always have to stand up for."

Specialty crops, which span fruits and vegetables, tree nuts and dried fruits, are especially critical to the state's diverse agricultural industry. Washington produces roughly two-thirds of the nation's apples, and the state dominates among other specialty crops including cherries, potatoes, hops, onions and grapes.

The farm bill, typically renewed about every five years, governs a vast array of agricultural and food programs. A divided Congress last passed the farm bill in 2018, and such programs have continued through multiple extensions. But a long-delayed update is increasingly urgent, Newhouse and farm groups say.

"This is much more about long-term stability, a five-year time horizon for things like conservation and trade and nutrition programs and rural development and university research," said John Paul Driver, vice president of the Washington State Farm Bureau.

The House Committee on Agriculture, where Newhouse served during his first term in Congress and again claimed a seat for his last term, advanced its signature legislation in March. The full House passed the $390 billion bill in late April after Republican infighting over pesticides, ethanol and animal welfare pushed the vote late into the night. The bill boosts subsidies for farmers, while cementing President Donald Trump's significant cuts to food assistance. It ultimately passed largely along party lines, with most Democrats vehemently opposing the hit to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps.

The bill still awaits action in the Senate. Senators can consider the House version or draft their own proposal to reconcile with the lower chamber. It's unclear when senators will take it up - and it's likely to face an uphill battle when they do.

"After Republicans passed the largest cuts to SNAP in history last summer, they decided American families should stay hungry - it's nothing short of an outrage. My family briefly relied on food stamps to get by growing up - SNAP is not charity, it's an investment in people and our country's future," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said.

"Meanwhile, Trump's war and tariffs are driving the cost of groceries sky-high, so of course I strongly oppose House Republicans' partisan farm bill," Murray said. "When Republicans are ready to come to the table and negotiate a bipartisan bill that puts families and farmers first, I'll be there."

With a slim majority in the Senate, Republicans cannot pass a bill without Democratic support.

The clock is ticking to renew the outdated agricultural policies. Across the nation and in Washington state, farms are struggling financially, farmers are aging and, too often, the cost of entering the industry is prohibitively high, Driver said.

Between 2017 and 2022, Washington state lost 3,717 farms out of roughly 32,000, according to Farm Bureau statistics, he said. The average U.S. farmer is about 58 years old; in Washington, the average age is closer to 59. Meanwhile, fewer than 6.5% of the nation's farmers are under 35, Driver said.

Still, agriculture remains a cornerstone of the state's economy.

"We raise over 300 different kinds of crops, some other states hadn't even heard of," Newhouse said. "When I came here and told people I'm a hop farmer, people looked at me like ‘beer, right?' "

Specialty crops, Newhouse said, are high-value, labor-intensive crops that are geographically unique. There's a lot of things that we want to make sure were included, whether it's insurance programs, promotional efforts, research efforts. Specialty crops aren't always included, or at a very small amount."

The House proposal roughly doubles funds for promotion programs, including the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, which would bolster the market for specialty crop producers.

It also supports insurance access for specialty crop growers by creating an advisory committee focused on specialty crop insurance policies, and allocates $30 million a year for research into automation and mechanization technologies to address the industry's sustained labor shortages.

The legislation is a strong foundation for the Senate, Newhouse said. "They'll take this and build from it.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.