9 Investigates: How Much Oklahoma Farmers Get In Farm Subsidies

The term "farm subsidy" encompasses a broad range of federal programs to help farmers, from wheat subsidies to disaster payments to crop insurance.

Monday, October 14th 2013, 7:35 pm

By: News 9


You may be surprised to know just how much Oklahoma farmers get in farm subsidies each year from the federal government. The term "farm subsidy" encompasses a broad range of federal programs to help farmers, from wheat subsidies to disaster payments to crop insurance.

According to the USDA, since 1995, Oklahoma farmers have received more than $6 billion in these various farms subsidies, that's 18th most in the nation.

Texas received the most, with $27 billion. In Oklahoma, by almost a three to one margin, wheat subsidies were the top subsidy over that 17-year period, at $2.8 billion.

Next is disaster payments, at $1 billion. Then, Conservation Reserve Program, Cotton subsidies, and Cattle subsidies, each around half a billion dollars.

What's interesting is that over that time again, according to the USDA, 69 percent of Oklahoma farms collected no subsidies at all. While, on the other hand, ten percent of Oklahoma farms collected 73 percent of all the subsidies.

Another note of interest, commodity subsidies, has generally brought in the most money, but that appears to be changing for the last two years. Subsidies for commodities have been eclipsed by subsidies for crop insurance premiums.

Oklahoma farmers received a total of $382 million in subsidies last year. The most received for any year was $554 million in 1999.

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