The $147 billion tracked by OpenSubsidies is only part of the story. Federal crop insurance adds another $10–13 billion per year in taxpayer-funded premium subsidies — a parallel system most people never see.
$10-13B
Annual crop insurance premium subsidies
$147B
FSA direct payments (our data)
120+
Crops covered by federal insurance
📋 Transparency Note
OpenSubsidies tracks FSA (Farm Service Agency) direct payments — the $147 billion in commodity support, conservation, disaster relief, and trade war payments. Crop insurance premium subsidies are administered by a different agency (USDA Risk Management Agency) and are not included in our database. We present this page for complete transparency about what our data does and doesn't cover.
What Is Federal Crop Insurance?
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), created during the Great Depression in 1938, provides subsidized insurance policies to farmers through private insurance companies. The government pays approximately 60% of insurance premiums on behalf of farmers, plus administrative and operating costs to insurance companies.
In 2024, total crop insurance premiums were $17.3 billion, of which the federal government subsidized approximately $10.5 billion. When a crop is damaged by drought, flood, hail, or other covered events, farmers receive indemnity payments from their insurance policies.
How Crop Insurance Differs from FSA Payments
| Feature | FSA Payments (Our Data) | Crop Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | Farm Service Agency | Risk Management Agency |
| Annual Cost | $6–39B (varies wildly) | $10–13B (more stable) |
| Payment Type | Direct payments to farmers | Premium subsidies + indemnities |
| Recipient Transparency | Names publicly available | Individual names often hidden |
| Programs | 157 programs (CRP, PLC, ARC, etc.) | Revenue Protection, Yield Protection, etc. |
| Crops Covered | Primarily corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice | 120+ commodities |
| Our Coverage | ✅ Fully tracked | ❌ Not included |
The Full Picture of Farm Support
When you add crop insurance subsidies to FSA direct payments, the true cost of federal farm support is significantly higher than either number alone. In a typical year:
- FSA direct payments: $6–17 billion (baseline years) or $20–39 billion (crisis years)
- Crop insurance premium subsidies: $10–13 billion
- Crop insurance company A&O subsidies: $1–2 billion
- Total federal farm support: approximately $20–50+ billion per year
The 2020 peak year saw approximately $55 billion in total farm support when combining our $38.7 billion in FSA payments with crop insurance subsidies and indemnities.
Most Subsidized Crops
In 2024, farm subsidies (both FSA and crop insurance) disproportionately supported a handful of commodity crops:
- Corn: $3.2 billion in FSA subsidies (30.5% of total) + largest crop insurance coverage
- Soybeans: $1.9 billion in FSA subsidies (17.9%)
- Cotton: Major recipient of both PLC payments and crop insurance
- Wheat: Significant PLC and ARC coverage
- Rice: Among the most subsidized per acre
Why This Matters
Understanding the full scope of farm support requires looking at both FSA direct payments and crop insurance. Policy debates about farm subsidy reform often focus on one while ignoring the other. Our FSA database — with named recipients, county-level detail, and 9 years of data — provides the most transparent view of direct farm payments available. For crop insurance data, USDA's Risk Management Agency publishes summary-level data by state, crop, and cause of loss.