Before & After COVID: How the Pandemic Changed Farm Subsidies
In 2020, COVID-19 triggered emergency farm payments that shattered every spending record. Here's how every metric changed — and what never went back to normal.
Farm subsidy spending increase in 2020
$23.72B → $38.73B in a single year
The Before & After
Spending Over Time
Annual Farm Subsidy Spending
5 Things That Changed
Emergency programs became the norm
Before COVID, traditional programs (CRP, PLC, ARC) dominated. After 2020, emergency programs like CFAP, WHIP+, and supplemental disaster relief routinely outspend traditional programs.
Average payment size exploded
The average payment jumped from $4K to $6K. Larger emergency checks replaced the smaller, steadier traditional payments.
Geographic winners shifted
States like California (+377%), Florida (+417%), and New York (+376%) saw the biggest increases — states that historically received less in traditional farm programs.
Spending never fully returned to baseline
Even in 2022–2024, annual spending remained well above pre-2018 levels. The new baseline is higher, with disaster relief and emergency programs creating a permanent spending floor.
The political calculus changed
When every state receives emergency farm payments, farm subsidies gain broader political support. COVID made farm spending a national issue, not just a Midwest one.
Biggest State Changes: 2019 → 2020
| State | 2019 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| PR | $4.7M | $135.3M | +2757% |
| AK | $6.2M | $115.3M | +1752% |
| ME | $6.4M | $111.3M | +1647% |
| WY | $26.0M | $261.5M | +904% |
| UT | $30.6M | $209.7M | +586% |
| FL | $113.3M | $585.6M | +417% |
| CA | $561.4M | $2.68B | +377% |
| NY | $116.5M | $555.0M | +376% |
| OR | $110.1M | $477.0M | +333% |
| ID | $179.2M | $675.7M | +277% |
| PA | $138.0M | $499.8M | +262% |
| CO | $254.3M | $869.3M | +242% |
| NM | $105.9M | $334.3M | +216% |
| WA | $291.6M | $787.7M | +170% |
| VA | $145.7M | $390.7M | +168% |
Related Analysis
- → COVID Changed Farm Subsidies Forever — Full deep dive
- → 2020: The Record Year — Every detail
- → The Disaster Money Machine
- → Most Surprising Recipients
- → Trade War Fallout — The spending spike that preceded COVID