Farm Bureau Warns Base Acre Proposal Could Cost California Farmers

As the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry prepares to mark up the next farm bill, the American Farm Bureau Federation is warning against one proposal it says could reduce financial protections for farmers, including those here in California.

According to a new Market Intel analysis from the organization, debate has resurfaced over whether to require a mandatory update to farm base acres. Those historic acreage records are used to calculate payments through federal commodity safety net programs, including Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage.

Farm Bureau says the recently enacted H.R. 1 already addresses farms that lack base acres by allowing USDA to add up to 30 million new base acres for eligible producers without reducing support for existing participants.

Farm Bureau estimates California farmers could lose roughly $937 million in commodity program support between 2029 and 2036 if a mandatory base acre update were adopted.

For the full analysis, head to https://www.fb.org/intel/markets/mandatory-base-acre-update-would-hurt-farmers