WASHINGTON, D.C., December 8, 2025 – President Donald J. Trump alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (AR), Senator Deb Fischer (NE), Senator John Hoeven (ND), Representative Austin Scott (GA), and farmers from Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 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 are still impacting farmers following four years of disastrous Biden Administration policies that resulted in record high input prices and zero new trade deals. These bridge payments are intended in part to aid farmers until historic investments from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), including reference prices which are set to increase between 10-21% for major covered commodities such as soybeans, corn, and wheat and will reach eligible farmers on October 1, 2026.

Of the $12 billion provided, up to $11 billion will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) 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.

Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments to be released by February 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5pm ET on December 19, 2025. 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 (CCC) Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

To submit questions, justification for USDA farmer bridge aid, or to request a meeting on farmer bridge aid, producers can reach out to farmerbridge@usda.gov.

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Additional Quotes related to the announcement.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on USDA’s announcement to provide financial relief and an economic bridge for America’s farmers and ranchers until benefits from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reach the farm.

“Farmers are grateful to President Trump and Secretary Brooke Rollins for providing resources that, for many, could make the difference between staying in business to plant another crop, or shuttering a family farm.

“America’s farmers have been hit from every direction during this economic storm. They face the same high prices as all of America’s families, as more of their income is going to household bills and higher operating costs, including loans, equipment and supplies. At the same time, farmers are receiving historically low prices for most major crops ­— they’re expected to lose $34 billion this year alone.

“We appreciate that Congress addressed many economic challenges in legislation earlier this year, but many farm program improvements will not kick in until next year. The assistance announced today will make an immediate impact by providing a lifeline for farmers who work to ensure a healthy, safe and abundant food supply.”

ValJay Rigby, Utah Farm Bureau Federation President

“America’s farmers continue to face intense financial pressure—from rising input costs to higher household expenses. Utah’s farmers and ranchers are grateful to President Trump and Secretary Brooke Rollins for support like this, which helps stabilize their businesses and plan for the future,” said President of the Utah Farm Bureau, ValJay Rigby. “Farmers and ranchers in Utah appreciate the leadership shown in delivering resources that keep our agricultural communities strong. This assistance provides immediate relief and helps ensure we can continue supplying safe, reliable, and abundant food to families nationwide.”