New USDA initiative expands farm safety net for Kansas farmers
New USDA initiative expands farm safety net for Kansas farmers
Mily FavellaSat, May 30, 2026 at 4:11 AM UTC
0
TOPEKA (KSNT) — Eligible Kansas farmers will soon have the opportunity to apply for additional base acres through a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program, a change agricultural leaders say could significantly expand access to the federal farm safety net.
The USDA announced that landowners can apply for additional base acres beginning June 1 as part of changes included in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
According to Taylor Williamson, director of policy and economics for the Kansas Corn Association, the update is the first major reevaluation of base acreage in nearly three decades.
“There are some farmers out here, especially young and beginning farmers, that are under or have no base,” Williamson said. “So being under-based means that I might be farming a thousand acres, but I only have 500 acres that have base attached to them. So I’m not getting any sort of safety net on these 500 acres.”
Base acres are used to determine eligibility for certain federal farm programs that provide financial assistance when farmers face low commodity prices, poor yields or other economic challenges.
Williamson said Kansas farmers are particularly affected because the state has fewer base acres than the number of acres typically planted each year.
“Kansas as a whole is under-based, so we have less base acres than what we are planting on an average year,” Williamson said. “In a time like right now, where you have really, really tight margins, you have low net income, poor prices, and maybe a poor crop, that can be really, really impactful. It could be the difference between going bankrupt and living to farm another day.”
Pedaling with a purpose: How a cyclist is raising money for kids in Emporia
The USDA plans to allocate 30 million additional base acres nationwide. If approved applications exceed that amount, the acreage will be distributed across qualifying farms nationwide.
Advertisement
Williamson said the expansion comes at a critical time for agriculture, citing rising production costs and financial stress across the industry.
“So altogether, including the base acre update, it’s a significant increase in the farm safety net,” Williamson said. “And again, this is incredibly important given where we’re at in the farm economy right now.”
He added that stronger support for farmers benefits more than just the agricultural community.
“When farmers are going strong, the economy as a whole is going strong,” Williamson said. “Things like this help not just the farmer, not just the bottom line of the farmer, but the end consumer as well. Because without farmers we’re not eating any food.”
Williamson encouraged all eligible farmers, whether they own or rent land, to contact their local Farm Service Agency office to determine whether they qualify.
Applications for farmers who are under-based or have no base acreage will be accepted from June 1 through Aug. 30, 2026.
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Source: “AOL Money”
