ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the 2014 Farm Bill programs that serve as the core components of the farm safety net. Title I commodity programs, along with Title XI subsidized federal crop insurance, are the 2014 Farm Bill's main mechanisms fostering the financial survival of farm producers. Price-Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) are financial safety-net alternatives available to eligible producers of selected crops covered within Title I. The 2014 Farm Bill renewed the long-standing Marketing Assistance Loan Program (MALP) in Title I with few changes. MALP is a voluntary program where a producer can inexpensively borrow funds that are secured by the value of harvested Title I commodities. The chapter explores complexities in US sugar policy. Classified pricing is a marketing-order mechanism that allocates alternative uses for the available fluid milk supply. The crop insurance program offers producers a range of safeguards, including loss protection against decreases in yield, crop revenue, or whole farm revenue.
