USDA Program Name Decoder
Why this page exists: USDA programs have some of the most confusing acronyms in government. CRP, PLC, ARC-CO, CFAP, MFP, DMC, LFP, ELAP, ERP, WHIP+ — even farmers struggle to keep them straight. This guide explains each one in plain English.
🌿 Conservation Programs
Programs that pay farmers to protect soil, water, and wildlife habitat — often by taking land out of production.
CRP
Conservation Reserve Program
What it does: Pays farmers annual rent to keep environmentally sensitive cropland out of production for 10-15 years. Land is planted with grasses or trees instead.
Who it helps: Landowners with eligible cropland, especially in erosion-prone areas. Popular in the Great Plains and Midwest.
View full program details →EQIP
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
What it does: Provides cost-share payments for farmers to install conservation practices like cover crops, irrigation efficiency, and erosion control.
Who it helps: Active farmers and ranchers wanting to improve environmental outcomes on working land.
🌾 Commodity Support Programs
Programs that guarantee minimum prices or revenue for major crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice.
PLC
Price Loss Coverage
What it does: Pays farmers when the national average price for a covered commodity drops below a reference price set by Congress. Payments are per-acre based on historical yields.
Who it helps: Farmers growing wheat, corn, rice, peanuts, sorghum, and other covered commodities. Popular in the South and Plains.
View full program details →ARC
Agricultural Risk Coverage
What it does: Pays farmers when county-level (or individual) crop revenue falls below a benchmark based on recent history. Alternative to PLC — farmers choose one or the other.
Who it helps: Corn and soybean farmers in the Midwest and Northern Plains who prefer revenue-based protection.
View full program details →🚨 Emergency & Disaster Programs
Programs created in response to natural disasters, pandemics, and other crises. Many are one-time or temporary.
CFAP
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
What it does: Emergency COVID-19 payments to farmers and ranchers who suffered price declines and market disruptions during the pandemic. Multiple rounds (CFAP1, CFAP2, CFAP3).
Who it helps: Nearly all farmers — from cattle ranchers to specialty crop growers to dairy farmers. Broadest eligibility of any recent program.
View full program details →WHIP+
Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus
What it does: Payments to farmers who suffered losses from hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters in 2018-2019.
Who it helps: Farmers in disaster-affected areas, particularly the Southeast (hurricanes) and West (wildfires).
View full program details →ERP
Emergency Relief Program
What it does: Payments covering crop losses from qualifying natural disasters in 2020-2022. Two tracks: one formula-based, one for uncovered losses.
Who it helps: Farmers with documented crop losses from droughts, floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and freezes.
View full program details →⚔️ Trade War Programs
Programs created to compensate farmers for losses caused by retaliatory tariffs during the 2018-2019 trade disputes.
MFP
Market Facilitation Program
What it does: Direct payments to farmers affected by retaliatory tariffs from China and other countries. Paid per-acre for crop farmers and per-head for livestock.
Who it helps: Soybean, corn, wheat, sorghum, cotton, dairy, and hog farmers. Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota were top recipients.
View full program details →🐄 Dairy Programs
Programs specifically for dairy farmers, protecting against volatile milk prices and high feed costs.
DMC
Dairy Margin Coverage
What it does: Insurance-like program that pays dairy farmers when the margin between milk prices and feed costs falls below a chosen coverage level.
Who it helps: Dairy farmers nationwide, with premiums subsidized for the first 5 million pounds of milk (favoring smaller operations).
View full program details →🐂 Livestock Programs
Programs for ranchers facing drought, disease, and other threats to livestock operations.
LFP
Livestock Forage Program
What it does: Payments to ranchers in drought-affected counties who face increased feed costs because pasture conditions have deteriorated.
Who it helps: Cattle, sheep, and goat ranchers in counties experiencing drought (as measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor).
View full program details →ELAP
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish
What it does: Covers losses from disease, adverse weather, and feed/water shortages not covered by other programs.
Who it helps: Livestock producers, beekeepers, and aquaculture operations facing losses beyond what LFP covers.
View full program details →Understanding USDA Program Names
The USDA administers over 150 distinct farm payment programs, many with overlapping purposes and confusing acronyms. This complexity isn't accidental — each program was created by different farm bills, emergency legislation, or executive action, often layering on top of existing programs rather than replacing them.
The result is a patchwork system where a single farmer might receive payments from PLC (for low wheat prices), CRP (for retired land), CFAP (for COVID losses), and ERP (for drought damage) — all from different legislative authorities with different eligibility rules.
Browse all programs in our complete program database or use the program comparison tool.