Base acreage for corn is expected to increase by 18%, or about 16.8 million acres, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to new Congressional Budget Office estimates.
Soybean acreage, meanwhile, is projected otherwise to grow by 11.6 million acres, or 22%, according to the CBO estimates analyzed by University of Illinois professor Jonathan Coppess.
The bill authorized the addition of 30 million new base acres, which are eligible for participation in the Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage program.
The largest increase, 30%, will go to seed cotton, which is expected to add 3.5 million acres of new base.
Coppess notes that the CBO baseline shows there will be more base acres than there are planted acres. CBO estimates indicate that farmers will likely plant an average of 241.7 million acres to the seven primary program crops between 2026 and 2032, well short of the 270.3 million in total projected base acres.
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
Peanut base will be the most lucrative, paying $279.99 per acre, followed by $233.44 for rice, $118.52 for seed cotton, $39.14 for corn, $32.86 for wheat, $26.87 for sorghum and $19.08 for soybean base, Coppess writes.
CBO also updated its estimates for participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Participation is expected to drop from 39.3 million in fiscal 2026 to 37.5 million FY28 and under 36 million by FY2032.
The cost of benefits will drop from $100 billion this year to under $94 billion but steadily increase in coming year. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act expanded SNAP work requirements and also shifts some costs of the program to states.
