Farm Subsidy Articles & Guides

How Farm Subsidies Changed Under the 2018 Farm Bill

The 2018 Farm Bill made key changes to commodity, conservation, and disaster programs. Here's what shifted and what stayed the same.

April 7, 2026

PLC is the price-focused alternative to ARC. When commodity prices fall below Congressional reference prices, PLC pays the difference.

April 2, 2026

Federal farm subsidies have shaped American agriculture for nearly a century. Here's what they are, who gets them, and how to look them up.

March 26, 2026

SubsidyLookup lets you drill from state to county to individual program. Here's a step-by-step walkthrough.

March 21, 2026

These five CFDA programs account for the majority of all USDA direct payments. Here's how each one works.

March 15, 2026

Iowa consistently ranks among the top states for total USDA assistance. Here's a look at the programs and counties driving those numbers.

March 9, 2026

Every federal assistance program has a CFDA number. Here's what those numbers mean and how SubsidyLookup uses them.

March 4, 2026

Texas is massive in land and agriculture — and its USDA payment profile reflects that complexity, spanning cotton, cattle, and disaster programs.

February 27, 2026

ARC is one of the two primary commodity support programs in the current farm bill. Here's how it works and who benefits.

February 22, 2026

The government's official spending portal has all the data — but it's built for policy analysts, not casual researchers. Here's the difference.

February 16, 2026

A look at the states that consistently top the USDA payment rankings — and the programs and commodities driving those numbers.

February 10, 2026

The US farm safety net has two main pillars — subsidized crop insurance and direct payments. They work very differently and the data reflects that.

February 5, 2026