Temporary Programs, Lasting Questions: Ad Hoc Assistance in the U.S. Farm Safety Net

ABSTRACT

Large ad hoc assistance programs have returned to U.S. farm policy since 2017, operating alongside a more developed safety net built around federally subsidized crop insurance, Title I commodity programs, and standing disaster assistance. This paper reviews the renewed use of ad hoc assistance, documents its recent scale using USDA data, and examines its implications for producers and policy design. Repeated ad hoc programs may create expectations of future support while leaving uncertainty about timing, eligibility, and payment formulas. They also raise questions about crop insurance incentives, targeting, transparency, taxpayer exposure, and coordination across safety‐net tools.