As the final hours of 2025 wound down, USDA released per-acre payment rates for its Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said farmers who qualify for the program can expect to see payments in their bank accounts by Feb. 28.
“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,” Rollins said in a New Year’s Eve statement, replete with partisan rhetoric.
But while farmers will certainly welcome those February checks, many in the ag world worry they won’t be enough. In a Dec. 31 press release, Jed Bower, president of the National Corn Growers Association, said his organization appreciates Rollins and USDA for creating the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. Still, he noted that corn growers have been “sounding the alarm” about the fact that farmers have faced 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,” Bower said.
What can farmers expect?
USDA calculated a flat per-acre payment for all 2025 planted acres of covered commodities. Those rates were based on production cost data from USDA’s Economic Research Service and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate Report. Using this data, USDA established the following per-acre payment rates for each eligible commodity:
- barley at $20.51
- canola at $23.57
- chickpeas (large) at $26.46
- chickpeas (small) at $33.36
- corn at $44.36
- cotton at $117.35
- flax at $8.05
- lentils at $23.98
- mustard at $23.21
- oats at $81.75
- peanuts at $55.65
- peas at $19.60
- rice at $132.89
- safflower at $24.86
- sesame at $13.68
- sorghum at $48.11
- soybeans at $30.88
- sunflower at $17.32
- wheat at $39.35
Producers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $900,000 are not eligible for bridge payments. There is also a $155,000 limit per person or legal entity.
What more can be done to help?
There’s no doubt that farmers need more than a one-time bridge payment. The burning question across agriculture is can new policies save farms, or will more government payments be required?
Faith Parum, an economist with the American Farm Bureau, said the $11 billion allocated to the bridge program does not come close to covering the losses U.S. farmers are facing. She said that row crop producers alone have endured losses exceeding $10 billion for multiple years. Despite this, she and the Farm Bureau see some hope that bridge payments — coupled with increased support from the One Big Beautiful Bill and changes to farm programs — could begin to turn the tide.
“We are very thankful for the $11 billion, and we’re thankful for those increased reference prices and increased crop insurance,” Parum said. “All of that’s going to help farmers, but it’s been a pretty tough couple of years.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Parum said AFBF will continue to support market-based solutions including increased trade deal enforcement, year-round E15 and the recently passed bill allowing whole milk in schools. She adds that the Farm Bureau will also continue talking with the congressional ag committees about what additional assistance might look like.
According to Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation, farmers should not expect more payments from USDA any time soon.
“At this point, we believe we’ve done everything we can do under our budget,” he told Farm Progress in a Dec. 23 interview.
House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., has indicated that he’d like to see Congress authorize an additional $10 billion in farmer assistance. However, that could be a tough sell. Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman has also acknowledged that there may be a need for additional support at some point. For now, he’s inclined to wait and see how developments at USDA and the Trump administration play out before committing to more payments.
Scott Metzger, American Soybean Association president, said the $30.88-per-acre bridge payment rate for soybean farmers will not cover the losses they sustained in 2025 due to high production costs and the trade war with China.
“While the assistance provides some relief, farmers need strong, reliable markets to guarantee the long-term success of the U.S. soybean industry,” Metzger said in a Dec. 31 statement. “We urge the Trump administration to focus on immediate, achievable actions, which will support domestic soybean markets, including finalizing policies that create a preference for soy-based biofuel feedstocks through the 2026-27 Renewable Volume Obligations, robust biomass-based diesel volumes and 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit tax guidance.”
What about specialty crops?
When USDA announced its bridge payment plans in December, $1 billion was set aside to support specialty crop producers. Nearly a month later, there is still no information regarding what kind of support those producers will receive, or when they will see checks.
According to a USDA release, timelines and payment rates for specialty crops are “still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs.”