NE colorado. & south central SD |
That was part of the OBBBA that passed in July.
Pulled from Grok
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, includes a major update to base acres in U.S. farm policy. This is the first significant opportunity to expand base acres since the 2014 Farm Bill.
Key Details on the Base Acres Update
• Addition of New Base Acres: The law authorizes up to 30 million new base acres nationwide, allocated to eligible farms starting with the 2026 crop year. These new acres make farms eligible for payments under the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs.
• Eligibility: Farms qualify if their average planted (and prevented planted) acres to covered commodities from 2019–2023 exceed their existing base acres (as of September 30, 2024). Producers can also include a limited amount of acres planted to non-covered commodities (up to 15% of the farm’s total acres) in the calculation.
• Allocation Process: New base acres are assigned proportionally based on the farm’s planting history of covered commodities during 2019–2023. Existing base acres remain unchanged—no reallocation of current base is required or allowed.
• Cap and Proration: The total is capped at 30 million acres. If nationwide requests exceed this (which analyses suggest is likely), USDA will apply a uniform pro-rata reduction to all eligible additions.
• No Impact on 2025: This update does not apply to the 2025 crop year. It begins in 2026, with potential effects on program elections (likely due around March 2026) and payments starting in fall 2026.
• Why It Matters: Base acres determine eligibility and payment amounts for key safety net programs. This expansion helps farms (especially younger or expanding ones) where planted acres have outgrown historical base, aligning support more closely with recent production without disrupting existing bases.
This provision was highlighted as a win for row crop producers, addressing long-standing mismatches between historical base and current plantings. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is expected to release detailed implementation rules soon, so producers should monitor announcements and ensure accurate acreage reporting.
For the latest official guidance, check USDA or FSA resources directly. |
Adding base acres
