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.
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.