USDA announces FBA payments
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins on Dec. 31 announced the next phase in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, the eligible commodity per-acre payment rates.
As announced in December by President Donald Trump and Rollins, $12 billion will be paid to American farmers in 2026. Of that amount, $11 billion consists of one-time FBA program payments. The program was announced based on higher input costs and trade interruption as a result of tariff policies.
Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments in their bank accounts by Feb. 28, Rollins said.
Commodity, per-acre payment rates
• Barley: $20.51
• Canola: $23.57
• Chickpeas (Large): $26.46
• Chickpeas (Small): $33.36
• Corn: $44.36
• Cotton: $117.35
• Flax: $8.05
• Lentils: $23.98
• Mustard: $23.21
• Oats: $81.75
• Peanuts: $55.65
• Peas: $19.60
• Rice: $132.89
• Safflower: $24.86
• Sesame: $13.68
• Sorghum: $48.11
• Soybeans: $30.88
• Sunflower: $17.32
• Wheat: $39.35.
In response to this development, National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower released the following statement:
“We are appreciative of Secretary Rollins and the USDA for creating the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, which begins to assist growers facing economic pain and hardships.
“Corn growers have been sounding the alarm about the fact that farmers have been faced with multiple consecutive years of low corn prices and high input costs.
“While this financial assistance is helpful and welcomed, we urgently need the administration and Congress to develop markets in the United States and abroad that will provide growers with more long-term economic certainty.”
“National Sorghum Producers appreciates the administration’s continued support of sorghum farmers during a year marked by significant trade disruption and economic uncertainty,” said Amy France, chair of National Sorghum Producers. “These payments provide near-term certainty while longer-term improvements to the farm safety net and risk management tools take effect.”
Tim Lust, CEO of National Sorghum Producers, noted that international trade of U.S. sorghum has shown recent improvement, with export sales exceeding 1 million metric tons in the past few weeks—an encouraging signal as global markets begin to reopen.
“Wheat growers are closing the books on a difficult year marked by extremely high input costs and stubbornly low wheat prices,” said Pat Clements, NAWG president. “NAWG appreciates the Trump administration’s response to the market challenges facing farm families and its efforts to deliver much-needed assistance. While the rates announced today do not come close to making wheat farmers whole for the per-acre losses experienced in 2025, the $39.35 per-acre payment for planted wheat will help lighten the blow of a challenging year.
“As we look ahead to 2026, NAWG is eager to work with Congress and the administration to build a policy environment that provides regulatory certainty, allows wheat growers to achieve positive returns on their crops, supports robust trade policies that keep U.S. wheat competitive in global markets, and helps farmers begin paying down debt incurred after years of market adversity.”
Eligibility, program applications and crop insurance linkage
FBA payments are based on 2025 planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production, and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate Report. Double-crop acres, including all initial and subsequently planted crops, are eligible. Prevent plant acres are not eligible.
All intended row crop uses are eligible for FBA except grazing, volunteer stands, experimental, green manure, crops left standing and abandoned or cover crops.
Crop insurance linkage is not required; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided for in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to best protect against future price risk and volatility. The OBBBA federal crop insurance improvements include expanding benefits for beginning farmers and ranchers, increasing coverage options, and making crop insurance more affordable.
Specialty crop assistance
Of the $12 billion being provided by the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, up to $11 billion is being directed to eligible row crop producers and the remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in assistance is reserved for specialty crops and sugar.
Timelines for payments to producers of these crops are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs. Producers, including specialty crop producers and stakeholder groups, can submit questions to [email protected].
More information
Additional information FBA is available online at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba or at a local USDA Farm Service Agency county office.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
