Analysis & Deep Dives
Data-driven investigations into how farm subsidies are distributed, who benefits, and what the numbers reveal about U.S. agricultural policy.
COVID Changed Farm Subsidies Forever: The $38.7 Billion Story
In 2020, pandemic relief programs shattered every spending record in USDA history. CFAP, emergency payments, and the new baseline.
Trade War Fallout: $39 Billion in Tariff Bailout Payments (2018-2019)
US-China tariffs triggered the Market Facilitation Program — billions in direct payments to offset lost export markets.
The 10% Problem: How Most Farm Subsidies Go to the Biggest Operations
69% of farms get nothing. The top 10% collect nearly three-fourths of all payments. Who are they?
The Disaster Money Machine: $20 Billion in Emergency Farm Payments
Emergency and disaster programs now dwarf traditional subsidies. Is this the new normal?
Texas Gets $3.8 Billion, Vermont Gets $37 Million: The Geography of Farm Subsidies
A handful of states receive the vast majority of farm subsidy dollars. The map tells the story.
Conservation vs. Commodity: Two Philosophies of Farm Spending
CRP pays farmers NOT to farm. Commodity programs pay them to produce. Which approach wins?
When Corporations Collect: The Biggest Non-Family Recipients
LLCs, partnerships, and corporations collecting millions. Are payment limits working?
Farm Subsidies Per Capita: Which States Get the Most Per Person?
North Dakota gets $6,000+ per person. California gets under $100. The per-capita view tells a different story.
Are Farm Subsidy Payment Limits Working?
Top recipients receive far more than the $125K/yr cap through LLCs and partnerships. The limits are more aspiration than reality.
The Conservation Reserve Program: Paying Farmers Not to Farm
A $5.36B program that pays landowners NOT to produce. How CRP works, why it's controversial, and its environmental impact.
Small Farms vs. Large Operations: Who Really Benefits?
The average vs. median payment gap tells the story. 69% of farms get nothing while the top 10% collect the vast majority.
County Hotspots: Where Farm Subsidies Concentrate
Some individual counties receive more than entire states. A deep dive into the top 20 county hotspots.
A Decade of Disaster: How Emergency Programs Took Over Farm Subsidies
Emergency and disaster programs went from supplemental to dominant in less than a decade. Pre-2018 vs post-2018 spending patterns tell the story.
CRP Under Threat: Is Conservation Keeping Up with Emergency Spending?
The Conservation Reserve Program at $15.7B is the largest traditional program. But emergency spending now dwarfs it.
What Does the Average Farmer Actually Get? The $4,600 Reality
31.8M payments divided by $147B = ~$4,600 average. But the median is far lower. The inequality of farm subsidies.
State Winners & Losers: Who Gained Most from Emergency Spending?
Which states saw the biggest surge from emergency farm programs? Comparing 2017 baseline to 2020 peak ratios.
Clawbacks and Corrections: When the USDA Takes Money Back
Not all farm subsidy payments are positive. Explore programs and recipients where the USDA clawed back overpayments.
157 Programs and Counting: The Complexity of Farm Subsidies
Why does the USDA have 157 different programs? An analysis of proliferation, overlap, and the gap between largest and smallest.
Double Dippers: Recipients Collecting from Multiple Programs
Over 620,000 recipients collect from 3+ USDA programs simultaneously. Top recipients tap into 14 programs at once.
The 2025 Farm Crisis: Bankruptcies Up 46% While Subsidies Flow to the Top
315 farm bankruptcies in 2025, 15K fewer farms, $44B in projected losses — and subsidies still flow to the biggest operations.
Zombie Programs: The USDA Programs Nobody Uses
43 programs with fewer than 100 payments each. Bureaucratic inertia keeps them alive while serving almost nobody.
Why Florida Emergency Management Is the #1 Farm Subsidy Recipient
$346.6M across just 6 payments — how a state disaster agency became the biggest recipient in the USDA system.
The 10 Most Surprising Farm Subsidy Recipients
State disaster agencies, DC trade groups, sugar cooperatives, and a fish company — the recipients you'd never expect to find.
Before & After COVID: How the Pandemic Changed Farm Subsidies
Farm subsidies jumped 63% in 2020. Compare every metric before and after COVID reshaped USDA spending.
DOGE and Farm Subsidies: What Government Efficiency Means for USDA Payments
How would DOGE evaluate $147B in USDA farm subsidies? 157 programs, 43+ zombie programs, and billions in emergency spending.
Farm Subsidy Reform: What the Data Shows About Fixing American Agriculture
Five data-backed reform ideas from $147B in USDA payment data: consolidate programs, cap spending, means-test large operations.
What $147 Billion in Farm Subsidies Could Buy Instead
$147B could fund 2.2M teachers, 5.8M Pell Grants, or 6 years of NASA. Putting farm subsidies in perspective.
The 2025 Farm Bill Debate: What's at Stake for $147 Billion in Subsidies
The Farm Bill shapes every dollar of farm subsidies, conservation, SNAP, and crop insurance. What the data shows about current programs and what reform proposals would change.
Farm Subsidies and the Water Crisis: Subsidizing Drought
How farm subsidies encourage water-intensive crops in drought-stricken states. The Colorado River, Ogallala Aquifer, and California's water wars.
10 Myths About Farm Subsidies (and What the Data Actually Shows)
Farm subsidies go to small family farms, keep food prices low, and help struggling farmers. Right? We checked $147 billion in USDA data.
Who Pays for Farm Subsidies? The Taxpayer Burden by State
Every American taxpayer pays $109/year for farm subsidies. Some states pay far more than they receive. The net donors, net recipients, and what your money could buy instead.
Red State, Blue State: Farm Subsidies and Political Hypocrisy
States that vote against "big government" receive disproportionately more farm subsidies. Per-capita disparities and dependency data reveal the irony.
The Sugar Subsidy Racket: America's Most Egregious Farm Program
The US sugar program costs consumers $3.7 billion/year in higher prices to benefit ~4,500 sugar farms. Import quotas, price floors, and the lobby behind it.
The Ethanol Subsidy Machine: How Corn Subsidies Fuel a Questionable Energy Policy
40% of US corn goes to ethanol — a fuel that barely breaks even on energy. Billions in subsidies, environmental costs, and Iowa's political entrenchment.
The Farm Lobby: How $147 Billion in Subsidies Survives Every Reform Attempt
The farm lobby spends $130M+/year on lobbying. The Farm Bill logrolling coalition (SNAP + subsidies) makes reform virtually impossible.
Land Concentration: How Farm Subsidies Flow to Landowners, Not Farmers
50% of US farmland is owned by people over 65. Bill Gates is the largest private owner. Subsidies inflate land values and flow to owners through higher rents.