Federal Farm Support for 2025 Crop Year Estimated at $13.2 Billion
By Legis1 Editorial
· Edited by Carolyn Robinson
Thursday, October 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Why It Matters
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates federal farm income support payments through Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) at $13.2 billion for crop year 2025. This is a significant increase from the 2023 actual total of $0.1 billion, as highlighted in a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.
ARC county payments for the same year are estimated at $2.0 billion, four times the 2023 actual of $0.5 billion. Both figures are USDA estimates as of March and are subject to change. The 2025 ARC and PLC payments were disbursed on October 1st.
The Big Picture
Congress established PLC and ARC in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79) to replace prior commodity support programs. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), signed on July 4, 2025, extended both programs through crop year 2031, increasing payment limits and authorizing additional base acres. It also raised the PLC statutory reference price for soybeans.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected PLC payments for the years 2027 to 2036 for various commodities, but not for dry peas, chickpeas, and oats, potentially leading to geographic inequities.
The Bottom Line
The House-passed Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) and the Senate Agriculture Committee-reported version (S. 5526) have different approaches. The House bill makes no changes to PLC, ARC, or base acres, while S. 5526 proposes studying dry bean eligibility for PLC and ARC, adding 1.5 million base acres, and allowing certain tax preparers to submit forms on farmers' behalf.
The two chambers have not yet reconciled their versions, and no 2026 farm bill has been enacted. The programs are currently extended through crop year 2031.