Description/Abstract
The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) promises billions in new farm subsidies, but most of that money won’t go to the farmers who need it most. This brief describes how the OBBB’s changes to agricultural subsidy programs will disproportionately benefit large farms and non-farming investors, accelerating farm loss and consolidation across the United States. The authors argue that without reforms, the OBBB will inflate land values, raise barriers for new and small farmers, and further fuel absentee farmland investment. The authors also identify four reforms policymakers should enact to prevent these devastating consequences, including tightening payment limits and closing loopholes, reinstating income caps, narrowing and enforcing "actively engaged in farming" requirements, and ensuring new base acres go to small and beginning farmers.
Document Type
Policy Brief
Date
4-1-2026
Keywords
One Big Beautiful Bill, agriculture, agricultural subsidies, food systems, farm consolidation
Language
English
Series
Policy Briefs Series
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Alyssa Kirk and Shannon Monnat for their edits on a previous version of this brief.
Disciplines
Agricultural Economics | Agriculture | Food Studies | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy | Sociology
Recommended Citation
Schewe, Rebecca and Welsh, Rick, "The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Will Deepen the Farm Crisis, Not Solve It" (2026). Center for Policy Research. 529.
https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/529
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Agricultural Economics Commons, Food Studies Commons, Public Policy Commons, Sociology Commons
