Title page

Contents

Highlights 2

Letter 5

Background 9

USDA Provided About $161 Billion in Financial Assistance across Programs, States, and Commodities 12

Supplemental Programs Accounted for 42 Percent of Total Financial Assistance 13

The Federal Crop Insurance Program Accounted for One-Third of Financial Assistance 14

About Two-Thirds of USDA Financial Assistance Went to States with the Highest Agricultural Production Value 15

Almost Two-Thirds of USDA Financial Assistance Was for Field Crops 17

Ten Percent of Producers Received the Majority of USDA Financial Assistance, while Participation by Historically Underserved Producers and Livestock and Poultry Producers Increased 18

Fewer Than 10 Percent of Producers Received Almost Two-Thirds of Total USDA Financial Assistance 18

Participation by Historically Underserved Producers and Livestock and Poultry Producers Increased Substantially in Recent Years 20

Appendix I: Information on Selected Financial Assistance Programs 23

Appendix II: USDA Financial Assistance to Agricultural Producers 27

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgements 29

Appendix IV: Additional Source Information for Images and Figures 30

Table 1. Average Annual Financial Assistance to the Top Producers, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 18

Table 2. Description of Selected U.S. Department of Agriculture Financial Assistance Programs, 2019-2023 23

Figure 1. USDA Financial Assistance Programs for Agricultural Producers, by Agency and Type of Financial Assistance 10

Figure 2. Disbursements of USDA Financial Assistance to Agricultural Producers, by Agency, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 13

Figure 3. Distribution of USDA Financial Assistance to Agricultural Producers, by Program Type, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 14

Figure 4. USDA Programs Providing Largest Total Financial Assistance to Agricultural Producers, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 15

Figure 5. Distribution of USDA Financial Assistance to Agricultural Producers, by State, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 16

Figure 6. Estimated Distribution of USDA Financial Assistance to Agricultural Producers, by Commodity Category, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 17

Figure 7. Average Annual Distribution of USDA Financial Assistance to All Producers, Fiscal Years 2019-2023 19