Farmers to receive up to $12 billion in government aid
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Dec. 8 announced farmers will be receiving $12 billion in federal government aid.
The Trump administration will make $12 billion available in one time bridge payments to American farmers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs that they blamed on the past four years of Biden administration policies that resulted in record high input prices and no new trade deals. These bridge payments are intended in part to aid farmers until historic investments from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including reference prices which are set to increase between 10 to 21% for major covered commodities such as soybeans, corn, and wheat and will reach eligible farmers on Oct. 1, 2026.
Crops covered
Of the $12 billion provided, up to $11 billion will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, which provides broad relief to United States row crop farmers who produce barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, and sunflower.
FBA will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impede exports. The FBA Program applies simple, proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of modeled losses during the 2025 crop year. This national loss average is based on FSA-reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices and economic modeling.
Process to receive aid
Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments to be released by Feb. 28. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Dec. 19. Commodity-specific payment rates will be released by the end of the month. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for the FBA Program; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new OBBBA risk management tools to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.
The remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in bridge payments will be reserved for commodities not covered in the FBA Program such as specialty crops and sugar, for example, though details including timelines for those payments are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs.
The $12 billion in farmer bridge payments, including those provided through the FBA Program, are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency.
To submit questions, justification for USDA farmer bridge aid, or to request a meeting on farmer bridge aid, producers can reach out to [email protected].
“The plan we are announcing today ensures American farmers can continue to plan for the next crop year. It is imperative we do what it takes to help our farmers, because if we cannot feed ourselves, we will no longer have a country,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
With this program serving as a bridge it will allow farmers to leverage strengthened price protection risk management tools and the reliability of fair trade deals so they do not have to depend on large ad hoc assistance packages from the government, she said.
The announcement was made by President Donald Trump and Rollins, alongside U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-AR, Sen. Deb Fischer, R-NE, Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, and U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, GA. Also, farmers from Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas were in attendance.
Reaction
In response, Ohio farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower said the program will help corn producers.
“We are appreciative of the Trump administration for developing a farmer bridge assistance program to account for the economic circumstances harming producers of crops across the nation,” he said.
“While we await additional details to assess the impact that the farmer bridge assistance program will have on corn growers, we also need immediate market-based solutions. Congress can quickly take a first step in that direction by passing the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025. The legislation would expand access to fuel with 15% ethanol blends year-round, increasing demand for corn for ethanol and saving consumers money at the pump.
“We also encourage the administration to work as expeditiously as possible to secure new trade opportunities that will open foreign markets to corn and corn products.”
Boozman applauded White House farm assistance to American producers. He released the following statement:
“America’s farm families share President Trump’s vision for increased market access. Delivering this farm assistance will bridge the gap until farmers realize the benefits of the recent trade deals and the One Big Beautiful Bill that will provide the certainty they need.
“As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, American agriculture will continue to provide the safest, most affordable food, fuel and fiber in the world. This announcement provides much needed relief to rural America. My colleagues and I remain focused on the state of farm country and are prepared to pursue additional steps to ensure a strong future for farm families.”
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee was administration’s announcement of assistance to farmers was more measured as she noted the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
“While we need to help farmers who have been hurt by the president’s across-the-board tariffs, ultimately farmers want trade — not aid. The easiest way to give our farmers more certainty would be for the president to end his tariff taxes. This assistance will clearly benefit some farmers now, but a one-time payment is not a long-term fix — only restoring these markets can do that. While more details are needed, as announced this assistance may fall short for many farmers who have been harmed by the president’s reckless tariffs.”
Congressman Frank D. Lucas, R-OK, released the following statement after Trump’s announcement.
“Today’s timely announcement of economic assistance proves once again that President Trump never forgets our farmers,” Lucas said. “This much-needed relief will go a long way for the men and women who keep our country fed, and I know my fellow Oklahomans welcome this effort with open arms.”
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
