USDA photo by Tom Witham

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reported the Trump administration plans to announce a long-anticipated aid package for U.S. farmers within the next one to two weeks. Support is expected as producers continue to struggle with low crop prices, higher input costs, and the effects of trade disputes that sharply reduced soybean sales to China.

China recently resumed purchasing U.S. soybeans, including 1.6 million metric tons last week and a pledge to buy 12 million metric tons through January. However, farm groups say financial relief remains “urgently needed.”

Economists remain divided on whether to provide additional trade aid. Farm Journal’s November Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor shows a 50-50 split on the need for another round of payments.

Ninety-four percent of economists surveyed believe U.S. agriculture has become overly reliant on ad hoc payments. This distorts land values, rents, equipment purchases and management decisions. One hundred percent of economists surveyed say tariff-related aid would keep fertilizer and other input prices elevated.

As the USDA develops the new aid package, several policy organizations are urging the department to focus on transparency and financial accountability. In a letter to Secretary Rollins, the groups called for any assistance to be strictly needs-based, use accurate economic data and be delivered in a manner that minimizes fraud and waste.

The policy groups also highlighted that the USDA will spend $35.2 billion this year on supplemental and ad-hoc disaster assistance tied to economic and weather-related losses from 2023 and 2024.

Read more on the USDA’s announcement of additional farmer aid here.