A bill to 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.
Key claim: This bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture to treat acreage left unplanted due to insufficient irrigation water as eligible for prevented planting payments under existing farm support programs.
Abstract
(S4862 · 119th Congress) Latest action (2026-06-23): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Why this matters
Prevented planting payments are a core risk-management tool for farmers, and extending them to cover irrigation water shortfalls would shift some of the financial risk of drought and water-delivery cutbacks from producers to the federal crop insurance and farm program system. For consumers, broader eligibility could stabilize farm income in water-stressed regions but may increase program outlays; food price effects would depend on whether coverage encourages continued production or facilitates orderly idling of acreage. Status is introduced, so no operational changes have taken effect.