White House and U.S. Department of Agriculture announce $12 billion in aid to farmers
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Rachel Yeung
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Key Takeaways
On December 8, President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a $12 billion farm aid package to help farmers manage market disruptions and rising production costs. The package will provide one-time payments to support producers and follows several USDA initiatives launched in 2025 to strengthen the agricultural economy and assist producers navigating recent economic challenges.
What do we know so far?
Funding will be made available through the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, which will provide up to $11 billion in support to U.S. row-crop producers. Eligible commodities include barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame and sunflower.
FBA payments will use a formula-based approach to cover a portion of producers’ modeled losses from the 2025 crop year. Payment rates vary depending on crop. Farmers can expect payments to begin by February 28, 2026, and must ensure that acreage reports are finalized with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) by December 19, 2025. Payments will be capped at $155,000 per recipient. Producers with an adjusted gross income above $900,000 will not be eligible.
The remaining $1 billion will be reserved for specialty crops not covered by the FBA program, such as fruits, vegetables and other produce. Details on those payments will be announced in the coming months.
County implications
Counties are essential partners in supporting our nation’s farmers and ranchers through managing essential services, infrastructure, land-use planning and workforce development on which agricultural communities rely.
NACo will continue to monitor the rollout of these payments and work with federal partners to support American farmers. Counties are encouraged to share how this aid is impacting their local economies and producers.
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