The United States federal government currently runs two major price support programs in agriculture, the marketing loan program and countercyclical payment (CCP) program. While these programs are both targeted at providing producer price protection, they have different political and financial costs associated with them. We find that the crop’s relative price strength versus its loan rate and the relationship between CCP base production and 2005 expected production have the largest influence on how loan rate changes affect outlays from the price support programs for the various crops. The reduction in cost often comes in situations where the current array of price support programs over-compensates producers for price shortfalls. This shift would also likely find greater acceptance under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agriculture guidelines than would the current structure.