COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina growers and landowners are in line for roughly $84.8 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Farm Service Agency announced Tuesday, as federal price and revenue protection checks for last year’s crops land alongside annual conservation rent.
The state’s share is part of a national round of $13.8 billion in gross payments under two commodity programs, Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, for the 2025 crop year, plus $1.8 billion in Conservation Reserve Program rent for 2026. JEB Wilson, who leads the agency in South Carolina, said the money helps farm families pay operating costs and buy supplies and equipment from local businesses.
The two programs work differently. Price Loss Coverage pays when a crop’s effective price drops below its effective reference price, while Agriculture Risk Coverage pays when revenue comes in under a guaranteed level, measured either by county or by individual farm. Ten South Carolina crops triggered a price payment for 2025, and payments for long grain and medium grain rice will follow once final market prices are set.
The bigger checks trace to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which passed on July 4, 2025, and is often called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It raised reference prices, lifted the per-person cap to $160,000 for the 2025 crop year, and for 2025 only pays each producer the higher of the two program rates. Payments will still be trimmed by a 5.7% sequestration cut. The law also added base acres nationwide, including 181,897 new acres on South Carolina farms, after a 3.69% across-the-board trim.
On the conservation side, the rent covers 17,308 acres under active contracts in the state, including 2,182 acres of grassland. Enrollment for the 2026 crop year runs through Dec. 11, and sign-up for 2027 opens Nov. 2 and closes March 15, 2027, through local county offices.
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