A Record $13.8 Billion Safety Net for Farmers: Washington Kept Its Promise When Prices Fell
USDA says ARC and PLC will generate about $13.8 billion in gross payments for the 2025 crop, the most since the programs began. In our view, the safety net did its job, but a record payout is also a warning about crop prices.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 9, 2026 | 6-min read When crop prices fall, the farmer does not get to pass the loss on to anyone. The seed, the fuel and the fertilizer are already paid for. That is why Congress built a safety net, and this week it is paying out like never before. On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that two federal programs will generate about $13.8 billion in gross payments for the 2025 crop year, "the largest annual payout by far" since the programs were created in the 2014 Farm Bill [1]. In our view, this is the safety net doing exactly what it was designed to do, strengthened by a law that put rural America first. But a record payout is also a warning light about farm prices, and we should read it both ways. Key Takeaways The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs will generate about $13.8 billion in gross payments for the 2025 crop, a record [1]. That figure is before payment-limit reductions and a 5.7% sequestration cut required by law, so farmers will receive less than the headline [1]. Sixteen crops triggered PLC payments, including