An official website of the United States government.

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Agricultural Library
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Economics, Business, and Trade
  3. Agricultural Subsidies

Agricultural Subsidies

The government provides agricultural subsidies — monetary payments and other types of support — to farmers or agribusinesses.  While some subsidies are given to promote specific farming practices, others focus on research and development, conservation practices, disaster aid, marketing, nutrition assistance, risk mitigation, and more. 

On this page, find legislation, USDA programs, historical information, data, and other pertinent resources.

 

Featured Resources

Economic Research Service

wheat

Publications, data, graphs, and FAQs on U.S. agricultural policy, Farm Bill provisions, risk management, and other topics.

Visit the Website

USDA Price Support

peanuts

Links to USDA programs and forms, rate information, notices and regulations, and price reports.

Visit the Website

Farmers.gov

Corn

Tools, contacts, and information on USDA programs and resources pertinent to USDA loans, disaster assistance, risk management, conservation, and more.

Visit Farmers.gov

External Links Relevant for Agricultural Subsidies

  • 2018 Farm Bill (farmers.gov)

    Information, brochures, and tools for farmers, ranchers, and forest managers describing available USDA programs on conservation, disaster assistance, farm production, loans, risk management, and more.

  • USDA Farm Service Agency

    FSA provides access to capital to fund agricultural operations, risk mitigation assistance, disaster recovery resources, and other programs and services for agricultural businesses.

  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

    NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to help landowners and agricultural producers implement conservation practices to improve their land.

  • USDA Risk Management Agency

    RMA assists agricultural producers obtain and utilize tools to manage farm risk, including Federal crop insurance policies for crops and livestock in the United States.

Access to Research Articles

See all 469 results

Historical, Legislative and Data Resources

External Links Relevant for Agricultural Subsidies

Selected Books

Contact your local library to borrow books.
  1. Agricultural policy reform: new approaches: the role of direct income payments. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1994.  NAL call number:  HD1415.A318 1994.
  2. American agriculture in the twentieth century: how it flourished and what it cost.  Gardner, Bruce L.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002. NAL call number: HD1761.G2447 2002.
  3. A billion dollars a day: the economics and politics of agricultural subsidies. Peterson, E. Wesley F. Malden. NAL call number:  HD1415.P48 2009. [NOTE: See Chapter 6: "U.S. Agricultural Policy: How Not to Save the Family Farm."]
  4. The effects of premium subsidies on demand for crop insurance.  O'Donoghue, Erik J. NAL call number: aHG9968.O36 2014.

    Read online
  5. Farm payment programs: analyses & reduction proposals. Oddosh, Robert and Chris Vinova, eds. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science ; Lancaster: Gazelle [distributor], 2013. NAL call number: HD1415.F38 2013.
  6. Food, farming, and sustainability: readings in agricultural law. Schneider, Susan A. Economic support to agriculture: the federal farm programs, federal crop insurance, and disaster assistance. NAL call number: KF1682.S36 2016.
  7. Handbook of agricultural economics. Gardner, Bruce L. and Gordon C. Rausser, eds. Amsterdam ; NY: Elsevier, 2001. NAL call number: HD1415.H313 2001.

Important Links