LUBBOCK, TX – The recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1) includes a major change for producers with land not fully covered by existing farm program base acres. According to Dr. Bart Fischer with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M, the new provision allows up to 30 million additional base acres nationwide, effective for the 2026 crop year.
Farms are eligible if their 2019–2023 average planted or prevented-planting acreage of covered commodities exceeds current base acres, or if they planted eligible non-covered commodities within the 15% limit of total farm acreage. New base acres will be assigned proportionally based on historical plantings.
If eligible acres nationwide exceed 30 million, USDA will apply an across-the-board reduction. Landowners will be notified automatically through USDA’s Farm Service Agency, though they may opt out.
Dr. Fischer notes this change addresses long-standing concerns from producers in many regions, ensuring landowners can more fully participate in federal farm programs without complex entity structures or regional bias.