Trump announces $12 billion farm relief package
Published 4:44 pm Monday, December 8, 2025
Row crop farmers get $11 billion, while fruit, nut and other specialty growers will share separate $1 billion fund
The USDA will distribute $11 billion to growers of 20 crops by the end of February to offset expected 2025 losses, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.
The USDA plans to later distribute $1 billion to farmers of specialty crops such as apples, cherries, hops and pears. The agency needs more time to study economic losses for those crops, Rollins said Dec. 8 at a White House event.
Although checks won’t be distributed until the end of February, growers of the 20 selected crops should know by the end of the month how much they will receive, she said. “So as you go to your lender … you will have that number in hand,” she said.
The Trump administration has talked for several months about providing aid to farmers, particularly to soybean growers temporarily shut out of China. China has resumed buying U.S. soybeans. The White House recast the aid as a “bridge” to better times for agriculture.
“This country and our farm economy are facing a crisis that we inherited that most of these farmers have never seen in their lifetime,” Rollins said.
The $12 billion will come from tariffs. Trump said tariffs have leveraged trade deals that will help U.S. farmers.
“This is going to be the golden age,” he said. “Farmers don’t want aid. They want a level playing field because if they have a level playing field, they’ll do better than anyone else.”
Only farms with adjusted gross incomes of less than $900,000 are eligible for payments. Payments to a single farmer or legal entity will be capped at $155,000. The Farm Service Agency will administer the program.
Producer reaction
“I think you brought Christmas to farmers,” Iowa farmer Cordt Holub told Trump. “With this bridge payment, we’ll be able to farm another year.”
The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, representing vegetable, fruit and tree nut growers, said in a statement it was disappointed about being left out of the first-round of payments.
“We stand ready to work with the administration and Congress to advance a meaningful assistance package to support specialty crop growers during this difficult period,” the alliance said.
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said the farm relief package picked winners and losers.
The crops covered by the initial round of payments fall under the USDA’s definition of “row crops.” The 20 crops are:
Barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapseed, safflower, sesame and sunflowers.
To apply, farmers must submit acreage reports by Dec. 19. Payments will be based on production costs and world agricultural supply and demand estimates, according to the USDA. The USDA plans to set commodity-specific payments by Dec. 22.
Farmers with questions or who want assistance applying can email the USDA at farmerbridge@usda.gov.
Payments will not vary by region. “Corn in North Dakota will be treated like corn in Louisiana,” Undersecretary for Farm Production Richard Fordyce said.