The Independent Restaurant Coalition is advocating for a Farm Bill that sustains the local and regional food systems independent restaurants depend on.
Congress reauthorizes federal agricultural policy roughly every five years through the Farm Bill, which governs commodity supports, conservation programs, nutrition assistance, agricultural research, and the local food infrastructure that connects small and mid-sized producers to buyers. Independent restaurants are among the most significant buyers in that system, and the Farm Bill's treatment of local and regional agriculture directly affects their supply chains and their menus.
For independent operators, sourcing from local farms is a business model built on relationships developed over years. When a regional producer ceases operations, a restaurant loses a supplier, a set of menu items, and a point of distinction from national chains. Keeping these producers in business is a direct economic interest of the independent restaurant sector.
The timing is urgent. The 2018 Farm Bill has been operating under an extension that expires September 30, 2026. The House of Representatives passed its reauthorization in April 2026. The Senate Agriculture Committee released its draft in June 2026 and is proceeding toward markup. Because the most contentious provisions of the bill were largely addressed through separate legislation in 2025, this reauthorization has an improved likelihood of becoming law, which makes the current period a meaningful window for advocacy.
The IRC is advocating for the following priorities:
- Fund the Local Agricultural Market Program. The Local Agricultural Market Program, known as LAMP, is the Farm Bill program most directly relevant to independent restaurants. It supports the local and regional food channels, including intermediated sales to restaurants, and funds the aggregation, processing, and distribution capacity that allows small producers to supply commercial buyers. Congress should protect and expand LAMP's baseline funding.
- Protect conservation programs. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program help small and mid-sized farms invest in long-term productivity. For operations working on margins comparable to those of independent restaurants, these programs frequently determine whether a farm remains viable.
- Support nutrition incentives. The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, which matches SNAP dollars spent on fruits and vegetables, strengthens demand for local produce and supports the producers that independent restaurants source from.
- Investin the next generation of producers. Programs supporting beginning farmers and historically underserved producers will determine the composition of American agriculture over the coming decade, as the average age of farmers continues to rise.
Independent restaurants represent one of the largest customer bases in American agriculture, purchasing produce, meat, dairy, and grain, and sourcing locally wherever supply permits. The Farm Bill helps determine whether that supply exists. Congress consistently hears from agricultural producers during reauthorization. It should also hear from the restaurants who depend on them, particularly as the September deadline approaches.