The Trump administration has outlined its new $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins saying farmers will know their exact payment amounts by the end of December and funds will be distributed by February. The program allocates $11 billion to commodity producers and reserves $1 billion for specialty crop growers.

FBA is intended to offset market disruptions, high input costs, inflation, and losses tied to foreign trade practices. Payments will be based on planted acres reported to the Farm Service Agency (FSA), modeled losses, Economic Research Service (ERS) cost-of-production data and World Agricultural Supply & Demand (WASDE) estimated yields and prices.

Producers must ensure accurate 2025 acreage reporting by December 19. The USDA will issue commodity-specific payment rates in late December, offer pre-filled applications, and cap payments at $155,000, with an adjusted gross income limit of $900,000. Crop insurance eligibility is not required.

At a White House roundtable with farmers, President Trump framed the aid as essential support funded by tariff revenue and argued that tariffs are restoring leverage in trade. He highlighted new commitments, including China’s 25 million metric tons of annual soybean purchases, and said the goal is greater domestic production to lower grocery costs.

Major farm groups welcomed the aid but stressed ongoing economic pressures and called for broader, market-driven solutions to strengthen U.S. agriculture.

Read more details about the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program here.

USDAs full press release can be found in the ProAg In the Field Crop Insurance Report here.