Help On The Way For Farmers
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Help is on the way for farmers hurt by the issues with the trade market and increasing production costs, as President Donald Trump has earmarked $12 billion of federal funding for farm aid.
This aid is designed to help alleviate the farmers’ loss of income from trade market disruptions, persistent inflation, and market losses caused by foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that have impeded exports. President Trump stated that this funding will help farmers to improve their financial standings while awaiting the Working Family Tax Cuts and other provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill that will be enacted within the government on October 1, 2026.
Some benefits coming to farmers from this bill include the increase of reference prices by 10-21% for major covered commodity crops, such as soybeans, corn, and wheat. The bill also provides several ways that farmers may help to avoid decreased profits despite the ever-changing economy.
Though farmers are not required to have crop insurance to receive this aid, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.
Of the $12 billion slated for farm relief, up to $11 billion of the funding is allotted for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, which provides relief to row crop farmers for their losses. Eligible row crops for this program are barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame seed, and sunflowers.
The remaining $1 billion will be allotted for commodities not covered in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, such as specialty crops.
Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 Farm Service Agency acreage reports are factual and accurate by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 19. Payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program can be expected by February 28; commodity-specific payment will be released by the end of December.
Payments will be determined by a uniform formula used to cover a portion of modeled losses during the 2025 crop year. This loss average is based on the Farm Service Agency reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, World Agricultural Supply and Demand yields and prices, and economic monitoring.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper commented on this aid. “President Trump continues to deliver critical support for American farmers and producers,” he remarked. “The Trump Administration’s farm aid package will ensure that Georgia farm families can get back on their feet and make it to next season, when President Trump’s farmer first policies will take full effect – revitalizing the agriculture economy and restoring prosperity to rural America. We have worked closely with Secretary Rollins to get this package across the finish line, and I’m grateful that Georgia farmers will soon be receiving this muchneeded relief.”
To learn more about this farm aid, email farmerbridge@ usda.gov.
