Congressman Don Davis Votes to Advance Bipartisan Farm Bill for Eastern North Carolina

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) stood with eastern North Carolina farmers and voted in support of H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 224 to 200. Davis, one of fourteen Democrats to support the bill, fights for eastern North Carolina priorities, including flood recovery, crop insurance, rural water, and the next generation of family farms.

"An estimated 15,000 farms closed this past year, and farmers in eastern North Carolina are feeling real pressure. Rising fertilizer and fuel costs, tighter margins, drought, and uncertainty are putting strain on the people who feed and clothe us. A Farm Bill matters for our farmers and our region.

While not perfect, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) provides necessary support: expanding access to risk management tools, opening new markets through trade promotion, strengthening support for specialty crop growers, and improving access to credit and loans.

I didn't just vote for this bill; I helped shape it, rolling in six bills I introduced, an amendment, and more than 25 measures I've supported. While I'll keep working to make it stronger, we can't afford to fall short because too much is at stake for eastern North Carolina," said Congressman Don Davis.

Key Provisions Championed by Congressman Davis:

Promoting precision agriculture:

(Includes provisions from H.R. 1985, Promoting Precision Agriculture Act, introduced by Congressman Davis)

• Establishes a partnership between the federal government and the private sector to create voluntary interconnectivity standards.
• Prioritizes the cybersecurity needs for precision agriculture technologies.
  

Protecting farmers and rural communities from natural disasters:

(Includes provisions from H.R. 1858, Flooding Prevention, Assessment, and Restoration Act, introduced by Congressman Davis)

• Empowers communities to restore flood protection in watersheds to levels above pre-disaster conditions through the NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program-a federal initiative for emergency recovery.
• Directs the USDA to conduct a comprehensive national agriculture flood vulnerability study. This study will provide vital insights into flood risks on agricultural lands, equipping producers with actionable data to make informed decisions and implement effective mitigation strategies.
• Reduces the local cost-share requirement to access the Watershed Rehabilitation Program for communities in limited resource areas. This NRCS program was designed to rehabilitate aging dams that no longer meet federal or state safety criteria, ensuring the continued safety of communities downstream.
  

Prioritizing underserved and distressed rural communities:

(Includes provisions from H.R. 2109, Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act, H.R. 6433, Rural Uplift and Revitalization Assistance Act, and H.R. 7530, Assistance for Rural Water Systems Act, introduced by Congressman Davis)

• Authorizes USDA to provide technical assistance to strengthen local capacity and improve access to rural development programs for geographically underserved and distressed rural areas, directly or through cooperative agreements.
• Allows the USDA Circuit Rider Program to provide cybersecurity technical assistance to rural water systems.
• Provides low-interest loans and loan forgiveness for rural communities seeking to upgrade their water systems.

Expanding rural entrepreneurship in persistent poverty counties:

(Includes provisions from an amendment led by Congressman Davis during markup of the bill)

• Reduces the matching requirement for organizations participating in the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) from 15 percent to 5 percent in persistent poverty counties-areas where poverty rates have remained at or above 20 percent for decades.

Helping military veterans find careers in agriculture:

(Includes provisions from H.R. 1230, AG VETS Act, co-led by Congressman Davis)

• Codifies the Agriculture Grants for Veteran Education and Training Services (AgVets) program to establish farming and ranching opportunities for military veterans.

Keeping family farms in the possession of farm families:

(Includes provisions from H.R. 6385, Farm Transitions Act of 2025, introduced by Congressman Davis)

• Reauthorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commission on Farm Transitions and requires the Commission to deliver a comprehensive set of policy recommendations to Congress within two years, focusing on ensuring that next-generation farmers have access to the land, resources, and support needed to keep family farms strong for the future.
  

Doubling funding for crucial agriculture trade programs:

• Doubles the Market Access Program (MAP) funding from $200 million to $410 million.
• Doubles the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program from $34.5 million to $82 million.

Congressman Don Davis is the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.