The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened enrollment for row crop farmers seeking one-time payments as part of the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) programme to address 2025 market volatility and increased production costs, with the deadline for assistance set for April 17, 2026.
Row crop growers with Login.gov accounts can submit pre-filled applications, based on 2025 crop acreage report for eligible commodities, including barley, canola, chickpeas, corn, cotton, crambe, flax, lentils, mustard, oats, peanuts, peas, rapeseed, rice, sorghum, soybeans, safflower, sesame, sunflower, and wheat, the USDA shared in a press release. Farmers can receive payment as early as Feb. 28 by submitting the request online, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins shared in the release.
Additionally, the USDA will provide sugar beet and cane farmers with $150 million, which is on top of $89.1 million in weather-related disaster support related to excessive heat in 2024, the agency shared in a press release on the same day of the FBA enrollment for row-crop producers.
“Improving the farm economy is our top priority at USDA, and we have simplified and streamlined the application process for the bridge program to ensure producers get the financial assistance they need as quickly as possible as we’re kicking off the spring planting season. President Trump continues to put farmers first. If our farmers are not economically able to continue their operations, then we will not be able to feed ourselves in this country,” Rollins said.
On Dec. 8, 2025, the Trump administration revealed $12 billion in farmers’ assistance with the FBA programme, with $11 billion dedicated to row crop growers and $1 billion for specialty crop growers under the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) programme, as AgTechNavigator previously reported.
Are specialty crop growers receiving enough support?
U.S. specialty crop growers who are seeking support to offset 2025 volatility have until March 13, 2026, to share their 2025 acres with the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, as shared in a separate release. Specialty crop producers include those who grow almonds, apples, spinach, sweet potatoes, walnuts, watermelon, and other crops.
In response to the news, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance advocated for a programme similar to CFAP-2 from Trump’s first administration, which has bipartisan support and has been included in bills introduced by Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, G.T. Thompson, and ranking member Angie Craig, as shared in a statement.
“We continue to urge Congress to provide not less than $5 billion in dedicated aid for the specialty crop sector. This support is critical to the continued sustainability of American agriculture and the communities specialty crop producers serve,” the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance shared in a statement.
