Frequently Asked Questions
Where does PlainFarmData's data come from?
All data comes from the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) Farm Income and Wealth Statistics, released February 5, 2026. The ERS is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and publishes the most authoritative annual farm income and program payment data available.
What is the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) program?
ARC is a USDA farm safety net program that provides payments to agricultural producers when actual revenue for a covered commodity falls below a guaranteed revenue benchmark based on historical prices and yields. It is one of the two main commodity support programs under the Farm Bill (the other being Price Loss Coverage).
What is Price Loss Coverage (PLC)?
PLC provides payments to producers of covered commodities when the effective price for a commodity falls below its effective reference price. Unlike ARC, PLC is triggered by national price movements rather than local revenue benchmarks, making it more beneficial when prices drop sharply across the board.
Why are dollar amounts shown in thousands?
PlainFarmData preserves the USDA ERS unit convention — all dollar amounts are in thousands of dollars ($1,000 units) as published. A value of '1,000,000' represents $1 billion in farm payments. This matches the ERS source data exactly without introducing conversion errors.
Why does PlainFarmData only cover state-level data?
The USDA ERS Farm Income and Wealth Statistics dataset provides state-level aggregates. Individual farm payment records and county-level breakdowns require different USDA data sources (such as the FSA payment database), which PlainFarmData does not currently include.
What is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)?
CRP is a USDA conservation program that pays farmers to remove environmentally sensitive cropland from production and plant species that improve environmental quality. Landowners receive annual rental payments in exchange for 10–15 year contracts. CRP payments appear as a major component of conservation program payments in the ERS data.
Is PlainFarmData affiliated with USDA?
No. PlainFarmData is an independent data portal built by Kiznis.Studio. We present USDA ERS public data in a more accessible format but are not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program information, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.