WASHINGTON — Congress finally approved a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that will keep the government open and provide a short-term extension on many programs, including the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, also known as the farm bill.

The 118-page bill will extend programs in the five-year farm bill through September, giving the House and Senate more time to broker a deal.

The extension will provide $10 billion in one-time farm economic payments to offset income losses.

The farm bill oversees farm programs as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which feeds an average of 42 million Americans per month, and 274,000 Iowans. It also sets policies for many agricultural programs, including federal crop insurance and loans for farmers. In Iowa, the bill supports more than 157,000 farm producers across the state.

This is the second extension of the farm bill, which is renegotiated every five years. It was last approved in 2018.

“For many farmers, the disaster relief provided … will be the difference between planting for another year or going out of business,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “The farm bill extension also offers a short reprieve, and gives lawmakers some breathing room to pass a modernized farm bill that will provide risk management support.”

The one-year extension came just one week before farm safety net programs would have expired and reverted back to Depression-era law, which experts warned would continue to raise food prices and create additional havoc in agricultural operations.

“Today, I stood with President Trump to deliver relief for our farmers, extend the Farm Bill, and help our communities recover from this year’s devastating floods and tornadoes,” said U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull. “On my 36 County Tour, I repeatedly heard from families, farmers, and small business owners who needed support to get back on their feet — and this legislation delivers that assistance. I look forward to working with President Trump to pass our conservative budget priorities, cut wasteful spending, and make government more efficient.”

“I just voted for the Farm Bill extension and relief for struggling Iowa farmers,” added U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa. “In 2025, I will immediately continue my push for PBM reform, telehealth permanency, site neutrality policies, physician reimbursement reform, and year-round sale of E-15. I’m eager to work with President Trump on the America First Agenda in the 119th Congress.”

Farm groups say they will continue to lobby lawmakers to negotiate a new farm bill to provide farmers with more certainty in a declining agricultural market with crop prices tumbling and livestock shortages causing profit margins to fall for farmers and agribusiness.

“I hope to move quickly to enact a five-year farm bill that aligns the farm safety net with the needs of producers, among many other policies, to minimize the need for annual economic aid,” said House Agriculture Chairman Glenn Thompson.