WASHINGTON — On Dec. 31, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins gave an update on the next phase of the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and the per-acre payments rates for the eligible commodities.
The program, which was announced in early December, is to provide $12 billion in farmer payments with $11 billion in one-time FBA payments to poultry feed commodities like row crop farms that produce corn and soybeans. Other commodities include wheat, oats, peanuts, barley, cotton, canola, peas, sorghum, and others. The remaining $1 billion is being reserved for commodities not covered, like sugar and specialty crops, USDA announced, adding that these payments are in response to record-high input and production costs.
“President Trump committed to increase certainty in the farm economy, and farmers can count on these payment rate calculations when going to the bank as they plan for the spring planting season,” Rollins said in the announcement. “Farmers who quality for the FBA Program can expect payments in their bank accounts by Feb. 28, 2026.”
“These one-time payments give farmers the bridge to continue to feed and clothe America and the world while the Trump Administration continues opening new markets and strengthening the farm safety net,” Rollins added. “USDA is making this process as simple and seamless as possible so producers can focus on what they do best — feeding and fueling our nation.”
Among the commodity per acre payment rates, according to USDA, include: corn, $44.36; soybeans, $30.88; barley, $20.51; canola, $23.57; cotton, $117.35; oats, $81.75; peanuts, $55.65; peas, $19.60; sorghum, $48.11; and wheat, $39.35. The lowest is flax at $8.05, and the highest is rice at $132.89.
The department adds that the payments are based on 2025 planted acres, USDA Economic Research Service products costs, and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) Report.
Producers can submit questions by email at farmerbridge@usda.gov; and more information is available online at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba.
“This represents an important step by USDA delivering critical short-term funding to family farmers facing multiple years of rising input costs, economic uncertainty and market disruptions,” U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry chairman said in a statement. “These bridge payments will help producers manage financial pressures until farm safety net enhancements approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill are realized in the fall. I look forward to returning to Washington … and working with my colleagues to ensure our producers have the resources they need to keep farming.”
“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,” Jed Bower, National Corn Growers Association president, said.
“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,” Bower added. “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 stability.”
