At Least 10,000 Farmers Took Over $11B in Farm Subsidies Over 39 Consecutive Years

May 09, 2024

By Jared Hayes and Bennett Rosenberg

For nearly 40 years, the Department of Agriculture annually paid more than 10,000 farmers billions in taxpayer-funded farm subsidies or disaster relief, a new Environmental Working Group analysis finds.

Farmers are eligible to receive farm subsidies or disaster payments even if they have collected a payment every year for nearly four decades. And some members of Congress want to use the farm bill debate to increase these payouts for a select few farmers – while putting a ceiling on payouts to those who most need them, recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as SNAP.

Data from the USDA show that between 1985 and 2023, a total of 10,249 recipients got farm subsidy payments every year. The average recipient collected $1,090,970 over the 39-year period, for a total of $11.18 billion. The top 10 repeat farm subsidy recipients collected between $9 and $20 million each during this period. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. The 10 largest recipients of consecutive federal farm payments annually between 1985 to 2023.

Some subsidy recipients who received payments for 39 consecutive years neither work nor live on a farm, EWG found. In fact, 48 of the 10,250 repeat recipients live in the nation’s 50 largest cities, despite a requirement that farm subsidy recipients be “actively engaged in farming.”

Between 1985 and 2023, farm subsidy programs paid farmers when crop prices fell below price guarantees set in the federal farm bill or when crop revenues fell below averages. Between 1996 and 2014, farmers also received “direct” subsidy payments linked to historic crop production. Disaster payments have been paid through annual spending bills, permanent disaster programs, and temporary disaster programs.

EWG did not obtain data on subsidies before 1985. Farmers are also eligible for crop insurance premium subsidies, but federal law prevents the USDA from disclosing information about individual crop insurance subsidy recipients.

Farm bill framework

Some members of Congress are seeking to increase these subsidies – primarily to benefit a few thousand peanut, cotton and rice farmers – and are proposing to restrict future increases in SNAP benefits.

The House Agriculture Committee is planning to vote on the 2024 Farm Bill later this month. Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-Pa.) proposed to increase farm subsidies in a recent framework for the legislation.

Farm subsidy recipients qualify for payments if their annual adjusted gross income is below $900,000 a person, or $1.8 million for a farmer and his or her spouse, and their farm sales top $1,000. By contrast, anti-hunger assistance programs are subject to much stricter income and asset tests, and low-income people remain on SNAP benefits for an average of just 12 months.

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Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.