By Jamie Martin
USDA has announced a $12 billion bridge payment initiative to help American farmers overcome the financial strain caused by global trade disruptions and rising production costs. This temporary assistance is designed to support producers until enhanced price protections under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act become available in 2026.
A major portion of this funding, up to $11 billion, will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program. This national program provides proportional aid to growers of key row crops, including soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum, lentils, oats, barley, cotton, peanuts, peas, canola, flax, sunflower, and more. The goal is to help farmers manage inflation, unfair foreign competition, and increased input costs that continue to challenge farm operations.
The FBA Program applies a uniform formula using planted acreage, production cost estimates, market price projections, yield expectations, and economic models. These factors help determine support levels that reflect a portion of projected losses for the 2025 crop year. Eligible producers can expect payments no later than February 28, 2026.
To qualify, farmers must verify accurate acreage reports for 2025 by December 19, 2025. USDA plans to release crop-specific payment rates by the end of the month. Although crop insurance is not required for participation, USDA encourages farmers to explore new OBBBA risk management tools as reference prices rise between 10 and 21 percent starting October 1, 2026.
The remaining $1 billion will support specialty crops, sugar, and other commodities not included in the FBA Program. USDA is still reviewing economic data to finalize payment structures and timelines for these sectors.
The bridge aid package will be administered through the Farm Service Agency under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. “The plan we are announcing today ensures American farmers can continue to plan for the next crop year," said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
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. With this program serving as a bridge to the improvements President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made, 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.”
"Wheat growers have endured another year of market adversity and rising input costs,” said said Pat Clements, NAWG President. “NAWG is encouraged to see the Trump administration delivering much needed assistance to farmers through a simple program for FSA to implement. Right now, timely assistance is critical for farms to make it to 2026. We look forward to working with Congress and the administration to build a policy and regulatory environment where family farms can thrive, not just survive,”
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after attending today’s White House agriculture roundtable where President Trump announced the U.S Department of Agriculture’s farm assistance package:
“Today’s farm assistance package is welcome news as we work to get the farm economy back on track. I applaud President Trump and Secretary Rollins for stepping up to ensure that America’s ag producers have the support they need to feed and fuel our world. I look forward to continuing to partner with the administration to expand trade opportunities that will create strong markets for Nebraska’s ag products.”
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: National