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A review of selected four-year average costs by farm size reveals that larger farms do not always experience lower costs per acre. While certain efficiencies are evident—especially in fertilizer and pesticide expenses for large farms in northern Illinois—other costs, such as machine hire or depreciation, may rise with size. The data also show significant regional variation, reinforcing the importance of benchmarking within your geographic context.
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Changes to Commodity and Crop Insurance Programs in the OBBBA

July 15th, 2025 @ 12:00 PM CDT

We will provide farmers and landowners with information they need to know about the commodity title and crop insurance provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law on July 4th, 2025.  OBBA increases the chances and size of PLC/ARC for 2025 and succeeding years.  Those payments will not be received until October 2026. Some landowners may add base acres as a result of this bill.  Also, farmers will need to re-evaluate the use of the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) as a result of OBBBA provisions.
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As of July 4, 2025, budget reconciliation, bearing the title “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” is Public Law. Among its many provisions are revisions to the major mandatory programs of the Farm Bill, reauthorizing them through 2031. Rushed through Congress under special budget procedures and a dearth of deliberation, much about this new federal law remains confusing and dismaying. This article reviews an expanded loophole for farm program payment limitations as a potential Rosetta Stone.
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The growth in use of the H-2A temporary agricultural work program over the past 15 years, both at the national level and within Illinois, is an indication of the labor market challenges facing nearly all business types in the U.S. Labor market trends suggest these labor market challenges will continue to persist. Farms and other agricultural businesses seem poised to continue to rely on a variety of labor sources, including H-2A workers, for the foreseeable future.
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This farmdoc daily article discusses the changes made to the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) programs in the commodity provisions of the budget reconciliation legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). For the 2025 crop year, the new commodity title provisions are expected to increase payments by significant amounts. Those payments, however, will not be received until October 2026.
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Tar spot of corn, caused by the fungus Phyllachora maydis, has become one of the most challenging foliar diseases for corn growers in the Midwest. First identified in the U.S. in…
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This article continues the discussion begun in the July 1, 2025 farmdoc daily of the new base acre provision in the 2025 Farm Bill. The provision is systematically laid out. The 30 million acre cap on new base acres will likely be exceeded, necessitating pro-rating of new base acres. States in the Plains and Midwest are likely to add the largest number of new base acres. States with few base acres are likely to have the highest percent increase.
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The H-2A program allows eligible employers in the U.S. an avenue to request and hire foreign workers to fill temporary agricultural jobs. The program plays a critical role in addressing seasonal and temporary labor needs. In 2024, more than 380,000 workers were authorized under this program—a 300% increase from 2010, when only 94,000 workers participated. This growth reflects both rising demand for labor and an increase in employer applications.
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