Balanced Agricultural Support and Efficiency Act

Bill Number

H.R. 5551

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-12-02: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.

Last Updated

2026-06-04T08:08:56Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Balanced Agricultural Support and Efficiency Act (H.R. 5551) aims to update the allocation of "base acres" for certain farm crops under federal agricultural support programs. Base acres determine eligibility for payments like price loss coverage and agriculture risk coverage. The bill ensures these acres reflect farmers' recent planting patterns, making support more aligned with current production.

Key Provisions

• Mandatory One-Time Update: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must update base acres for all "covered commodities" (major crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, and others listed in the Agricultural Act of 2014) on each farm starting for the 2025 crop year.
• Update Calculation: Base acres are recalculated using a five-year average (2020–2024) of planted acres for harvest, grazing, haying, silage, or similar uses, plus acres prevented from planting due to disasters like drought or floods (as determined by the USDA). The update proportionally redistributes total base acres among covered commodities based on their share of this average.
• All five years must be included, even if a crop wasn't planted in a given year.
• For multiple plantings or prevented plantings on the same land (except standard double-cropping practices), farm owners can choose one commodity for the average but cannot count both.
• Adjustments and Limitations: The USDA can adjust base acres in cases like land sales, ownership changes, or expiring contracts. The bill removes provisions for "generic base acres" (a flexible category for non-specific crop payments) and updates related payment rules.
• Conforming Changes: Technical amendments to sections on payment yields, payment acres, and price loss coverage to align with the new base acres system, including renumbering and removing outdated references.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 (specifically sections 1111–1116) by replacing the prior base acres framework with this mandatory update, eliminating the option for generic base acres.
• Shifts from historical (pre-2014) base acres to a recent five-year average, incorporating disaster-prevented planting for the first time in this context.
• Removes flexibility for farms to elect reallocations under certain conditions, standardizing the process while allowing targeted adjustments.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: The USDA will need to process updates for farms nationwide, potentially increasing administrative workload in the short term but streamlining long-term support calculations.
• On Citizens (Farmers and Producers): Farmers may gain or lose base acres based on their 2020–2024 planting history, potentially increasing support for those who shifted to higher-value crops and reducing it for others. This could improve equity in federal farm payments, which total billions annually.
• On International Relations: No direct impacts; the bill focuses on domestic agricultural policy without affecting trade agreements or foreign aid.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Farmers and Producers: Primary beneficiaries or those impacted, especially owners of farms growing covered commodities, as their payment eligibility changes.
• USDA and Farm Service Agency: Responsible for implementing updates, verifying planting data, and handling appeals.
• Agricultural Commodity Groups: Organizations representing crops like grains and oilseeds may advocate for or against the changes based on member impacts.
• Taxpayers: Indirectly affected through federal spending on farm programs, as updated base acres could alter payment distributions without increasing overall funding.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Strengthens USDA authority to determine disaster-related prevented planting (a form of administrative discretion) but mandates the update, reducing farm-level elections to promote uniformity. No challenges to existing contracts anticipated, as changes apply prospectively from 2025.
• Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's spending power under Article I, supporting agricultural welfare without raising takings or due process issues, as it adjusts voluntary program benefits.
• Political: Could spark debate in farm states over fairness, with supporters viewing it as modernizing outdated supports and critics worrying about reduced flexibility for small or transitioning farms. As a bipartisan bill (introduced by representatives from South Dakota and Illinois), it may advance agricultural policy renewal ahead of the 2014 Act's expiration.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]

Cosponsors (1)

Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13]

Recent Actions

• 2025-12-02: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
• 2025-09-23: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
• 2025-09-23: Introduced in House
• 2025-09-23: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Balanced Agricultural Support and Efficiency Act — issued 2025-09-23 — PDF (7 pages)