President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping twelve billion dollar farm aid package designed to stabilize the agricultural economy at a moment when many American farmers are facing the most difficult conditions in decades. The announcement took place during a White House roundtable with farmers from across the country, joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers, and leaders from eight major farm sectors.
Trump made it clear that this decision reflects a deep commitment to the people who keep America fed. Calling the move “a very vital action to protect and defend American farmers,” he said the support will be funded from a portion of the tariff revenues the United States collects on foreign imports. “They’re the backbone of our country,” Trump said. “So we’re going to use that money to provide twelve billion dollars in economic assistance to American farmers.”
The roundtable featured firsthand accounts of the economic pressures facing rural communities. Farmers from corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, rice, wheat, cattle, and potatoes described years of declining crop prices, steep increases in fertilizer and equipment costs, and foreign competitors that have chipped away at long-standing export markets.
Who Will Benefit From the Aid
The new program sends up to eleven billion dollars through the Farmer Bridge Assistance program at USDA. This program will provide one time relief payments to farmers growing barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, flax, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, sunflower and other row crops. These farmers have been hit hardest by market disruptions caused by foreign trade actions, inflation in farm inputs, and shifts in global demand.
An additional one billion dollars will support commodities not included in the main program, such as specialty crops and sugar. USDA officials will finalize this portion of the plan once they finish reviewing how recent market changes have affected those growers.
Payments are expected to reach farmers by February 2026. Eligibility will follow standard income limits, and payment levels will be based on modeled losses during the 2025 crop year. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that this timing is essential for farmers planning next year’s planting decisions. He said China had used farmers as a “pawn” in trade negotiations and that the aid would give producers the financial clarity they need to stay in business.
Why Farmers Need This Support
Farmers across the country have been warning of the worst agricultural crisis since the 1980s. Trade battles, high interest rates, foreign dumping, and rising input costs have all combined to create a strain many producers describe as the most severe of their lifetimes.
One of the most striking examples came from Louisiana rice executive Meryl Kennedy. She explained how foreign dumping by countries such as India, Thailand, and China has blocked American rice from key markets that once relied on it. “Puerto Rico used to be one of the largest markets for U.S. rice,” Kennedy said. “We haven’t shipped rice into Puerto Rico in years. So this has been happening for years.”
This loss of export markets is only part of the problem. A senior economist at North Dakota State University estimated that American crop producers could lose between thirty five and forty three billion dollars on the 2025 harvest alone. The cost of everything from fertilizer to tractor parts has surged, while crop prices remain too low to cover many farmers’ expenses. Nearly seventy percent of agricultural lenders surveyed by the American Bankers Association said they were concerned about the financial health of grain farmers, compared to just eleven percent concerned about cattle producers.
These economic pressures come on top of lasting damage from China’s retaliation during the earlier tariff disputes. China halted purchases of major U.S. commodities such as soybeans and began sourcing from Brazil and Argentina instead. As Trump described it, the country deliberately targeted American farmers, and he has pressed China’s leadership to resume buying U.S. crops. “Every time I speak to Xi Jinping I encourage him to buy more American soybeans,” Trump said.
When the Aid Takes Effect
Farmers who qualify will begin receiving payments no later than February 28, 2026. Producers must ensure their 2025 acreage reports are accurate by December 19, and USDA will announce specific payment rates by the end of the month.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the program reflects Trump’s commitment to rebuild the farm safety net after what she called four years of “record high input prices and zero new trade deals” under the previous administration. She added that this program will bridge the gap while Trump’s other economic policies, such as new trade agreements, tax relief, and deregulation, take full effect.
These bridge payments are not meant to stand alone. They are designed to carry farmers into 2026, when new provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will expand price protections, raise statutory reference prices by ten to twenty one percent, strengthen crop insurance, and add more than thirty million acres of new eligibility to major farm programs.
Other Deals and Support Announced for Farmers
The twelve billion dollars announced this week builds on more than thirty billion dollars in earlier support delivered since January 2025. These include emergency commodity payments, disaster relief, and block grants to states and sugar processors. Specialty crop growers have received nearly two billion dollars in targeted aid to offset their own losses from inflation and supply chain disruptions.
Trump’s trade agenda has also opened doors for American producers in more than fifteen countries. New agreements with Switzerland, Liechtenstein, El Salvador, Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, and others have created new access for beef, dairy, poultry, corn, soybeans, nuts, ethanol, rice, sorghum, and other products.
Rollins said the goal is to make sure American farmers are never again undermined by unfair foreign practices. “It is imperative we do what it takes to help our farmers, because if we cannot feed ourselves, we will no longer have a country,” she said. She added that the bridge program will allow farmers to plan ahead with confidence while the benefits of fair trade deals and new price protections continue to roll out.
The administration has also ordered strict enforcement actions against price fixing in seed, fertilizer, and farm equipment markets. Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute anti-competitive behavior that could drive up food prices or threaten the food supply.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin delivered the boldest biofuel targets ever, expanding the renewable volume obligations and supporting year-round E15, which Trump said provides “more choices at the pump” while creating greater demand for American corn.
What People Are Saying
Farm groups across the country welcomed the announcement. Senator John Thune said, “I appreciate President Trump and his administration’s commitment to deliver critical support to America’s farmers.” He emphasized that producers in his state have faced a strained farm economy for years and that this support could not come at a better moment.
Jed Bower, president of the National Corn Growers Association, thanked the administration for developing a program “with the goal to account for the economic circumstances harming producers of crops across the nation.”
Some economists and Democratic lawmakers criticized the continued use of tariffs, arguing that they contributed to the financial pain. Senator Amy Klobuchar said, “Farmers want trade, not aid,” and argued that restoring global markets would provide longer-term stability. But she also acknowledged that some farmers would benefit from the payments.
Trump pushed back firmly, pointing to revenue collected from tariffs and the need to ensure fair prices for American goods. “We love our farmers,” he said. “And, as you know, the farmers like me.”
A Program Built on Trump’s Longstanding Loyalty to Farmers
Trump has often said that America cannot be strong without strong farmers and ranchers. Throughout his presidency, he has made agriculture a core pillar of national strength and economic independence. He has repeatedly warned that foreign competitors will exploit any weakness in America’s food supply chain if given the chance.
From trade agreements to anti-competition enforcement to expanded crop insurance, Trump has positioned himself as the most aggressive defender of American agriculture in generations. The new twelve billion dollar aid package fits directly into that philosophy. It provides immediate relief to farmers who need it right now, while laying the groundwork for long-term growth through expanded markets, stronger price protections, and a renewed focus on American farm independence.
By expanding trade access, reducing regulations, combating unfair foreign practices, and reinforcing the farm safety net, the administration argues that America’s agricultural future can be stronger than ever.
