## Overview The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation established in 1933 to stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices, and to ensure the efficient marketing and adequate supply of agricultural commodities in the United States[1][5][6]. Administered under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the CCC serves as the primary financial institution for federal farm commodity programs, operating with broad authority to buy, sell, lend, make payments, and undertake other activities to achieve its objectives[1][2][4]. It plays a critical role in supporting U.S. agriculture through commodity and income support, conservation, export promotion, international food aid, disaster assistance, agricultural research, and bioenergy development[2][3][4]. ## History The CCC was created during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, responding to the severe agricultural crisis marked by overproduction and plummeting prices[1][7]. Initially, the CCC provided nonrecourse loans to farmers, allowing them to hold crops off the market until prices improved[7]. Over decades, its mission evolved beyond mere price stabilization to include direct subsidies and support for a wide range of agricultural programs, often in response to legislative mandates such as the periodic farm bills[2][3][4]. The CCC was transferred to the USDA in 1939 and reincorporated as a federal corporation in 1948 under the CCC Charter Act[1][5]. ## Key Achievements and Notable Aspects - **Broad Mandate:** The CCC’s activities have expanded significantly, supporting not only commodity price and income stabilization but also conservation, disaster relief, and international market development[2][3][8]. - **Financial Mechanism:** The CCC has a permanent borrowing authority of up to $30 billion from the U.S. Treasury, making it a powerful tool for mandatory (non-discretionary) funding of agricultural programs without annua