More Nebraska Cropland Can Be Covered By Federal Farm Aid Programs As U.S. Market Faces Uncertainty

By Macy Byars

Farm owners will have a rare chance to add acres of cropland previously not covered by federal safety net programs. Direct federal farm aid has been a priority for the Trump administration, but Nebraska extension educators say long-term solutions are needed to protect farmers in a waning commodity market.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act allows more “base acres” to be registered to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A base acre is assigned a crop – one of 22 covered commodities – based on what the farm has historically planted.

Base acres are used to calculate how much aid farmers receive under the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs, which subsidize a farmer’s income if a crop’s market price drops below a certain threshold or expected yearly revenue is not met at a county or farm level.

Brad Lubben, an extension educator, policy specialist and associate professor for the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics, said the opportunity is a big one for the state’s farmers.

“[Nebraska] would be looking to add a substantial number of acres that would be eligible for farm program support, and that would expand the support and the financial security for Nebraska farmers,” Lubben said.