Managing for Profit

Ad hoc farm aid grows as share of U.S. farm safety net

Ad hoc government assistance has become an increasingly important part of the farm safety net.

Alejandro Plastina, the director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center at the University of Missouri, says ad hoc payments accounted for about 12 percent of net farm income from 2018 through 2024, compared with about two percent from traditional Title I programs.

He says repeated use of temporary assistance could eventually influence future farm bill discussions, although he does not expect major changes to standing farm programs in the short term. Read more.