Monday they wheeled Mitch McConnell back into the Senate. 84. Last term. 92 days gone after a fall. He said he came back to work the farm bill.

Wednesday he cast the 12th vote. Senate Ag passed it 12–11, party line. All 11 Democrats voted no. The bill now goes to the floor. It still needs 60 votes. The current extension runs out September 30.
That's the hallway.

Here's the ledger.

Washington has spent a year selling regenerative agriculture. USDA stood up a $700 million Regenerative Pilot — $400 million through EQIP, $300 million through CSP. June 25, the White House ordered USDA to maximize that pilot. Same day, USDA tied cover crops, nutrient management, and reduced till to biofuel markets.

Five words in the order: subject to the availability of appropriations.

Congress writes the checkbook.

The Senate draft pulls nearly $1.9 billion out of EQIP across FY2027–2030. CSP takes a cut too. The committee says it isn't a retreat — it's a reallocation toward forest easements and state partnerships. Money is fungible in Washington. Contracts aren't.

University of Illinois: more than 56,000 valid EQIP applications that could clear the bar and still get no contract.

Environmental Working Group, using USDA EQIP data and its own regenerative-practice list: about $1.88 billion in 2024, $790 million in 2025.

IATP on 2025 awards: about 1 in 4 EQIP applicants got a contract. CSP: a little better than 1 in 3.
Not opinions. Documents.

Watch the EQIP line. Watch whether that pilot stays a whole-farm program or gets sanded down to a press release.

I'm Charlie Rankin. This is Yanasa TV. We keep the receipts on the table.