On Dec. 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will make $12 billion available in one time bridge payments to American farmers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs. The bridge payments are intended to help farmers manage financial pressures until provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) take effect, including planned increases of 10–21% in reference prices for major commodities such as soybeans, corn and wheat beginning Oct. 1, 2026.
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, soybean, 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 Feb. 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 4 p.m. CT on Dec. 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 USDA.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said the program is designed to strengthen risk-management tools and provide stability while markets adjust.
“The plan we are announcing today ensures American farmers can continue to plan for the next crop year,” Rollins said.
