NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — The last-minute push is on to get acreage data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is required to qualify for the upcoming farm aid payments, and the deadline is Friday, December 19, at 5 PM ET. The USDA will use acreage reports to calculate payment rates for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, which should be processed before Christmas to be paid out early next year.
That is the $12 billion recently allocated by the Trump Administration to help farmers protect their bottom line, bridging the gap until trade deals and more assistance outlined in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) take effect in 2026. Of those funds, $11 billion will be allocated to row crop farmers, and the remaining $1 billion will be set aside for specialty crop growers. Each person or entity may claim up to $155,000 in aid.
Is More Farm Aid on the Way?
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has been closely monitoring since the payments were announced. AFBF Executive Vice President Joby Young warns that additional assistance will likely be needed as lawmakers prepare to start a new year.
“The first thing that I’m thinking about is the fact that we have more work to do on that Bridge Payment program,” Young said. “They recognize that more assistance is needed. Work on finding a legislative vehicle to pass the other 20% of the Farm Bill. Another project we’re working on right here is year-round E15.” A “skinny” Farm Bill could come sooner than some thought.
Earlier this week, House Ag Committee chair Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA) told Agri-Pulse it could be next month, saying he would like to move legislation to reauthorize Farm Bill provisions not covered in the OBBBA.
On the heels of announcing he will not seek another term, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-WA, said he still has unfinished business in Washington. During his final year on Capitol Hill, Newhouse told RFD-TV that one priority stands out: helping farmers that he believes were overlooked in the Farm Bridge Payment Program. Newhouse said he appreciates the Administration for including specialty crop growers in the aid, but he hopes to do more for them.
“A billion dollars [for specialty crops] compared to $11 billion for row crop farmers around the country?” Newhouse said. “It’s pretty lopsided, and there are efforts underway in Congress to right-size that, and so we’re working with the Ag Committee, Chairman Thompson and the House with the Administration to see, you know, [if we can] do more to respond to farmers across the agricultural industry — and so that’s ongoing and we’re hopeful we can make some changes there.”
U.S. Export Sales — With or Without China
Several export sales crossed the wires this week, but they are not driving much market action. Trader Brian Hoops told RFD-TV News those sales are not enough on their own.
“Hopefully, we can pair these export sales that we’re seeing with maybe some production losses in South America and give us higher prices to work with,” Hoops explained. “That’s badly what we need to see here for these farmers. We’ve had a big sell-off and have given back all of the rally that we saw from the Chinese trade announcement. We’re at a point now where we’re filling gaps, seeking technical support, and assessing whether we can get enough fundamental news to push us higher and rally once again.”
The markets are eager to secure purchases from China, and while attention has primarily focused on soybeans, trader Brady Huck told RFD-TV News that other crops also need to see purchases. “When you have big exports from China, a big pull there, that moves the market and moves the needle,” Huck said. “We have a strong soybean crush — posted a record crush here last week — so, domestic consumption is good. We need strong domestic consumption in beans, corn, and wheat to move the needle and chew through bushels. But it’s those big export programs that come in and create that dynamic market shift in price that farmers want to see. So we need to see strong export programs, bottom line.”
Recently, an “unknown destination” made a soybean purchase of 312,000 metric tons, and the trade is widely assumed to be from China. However, those numbers are still lagging from the government shutdown. Huck said most of that action has already been traded.
“China was the biggest taker on beans in the weekly export sales, but again, not an overwhelming total,” Huck said. “So they’re getting closer to that 12 million metric-ton target, but I think the trade had a lot of that priced in and is in, certainly, a ‘prove-it’ type of mode. Let me throw in some cancellations of wheat that they did here this week, and it certainly just leaves trade in that prove-it type of mode right now.”
USDA Undersecretary Outlines How FBA Program Will Work
Today marks the deadline for farmers to submit acreage reports to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in order to be eligible for payments under the new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program. While commodity-specific payment rates have yet to be finalized, questions remain about how USDA structured the program and how payments will be distributed.
Luke Lindberg, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, joined us on Friday’s Market Day Report to discuss the reporting deadline, payment framework, and broader trade priorities impacting U.S. agriculture.
In his conversation with RFD-TV News, Lindberg explained what producers need to know when submitting acreage reports, including how the payment process will proceed and the rationale for the reported $155,000 payment cap, and provided an update on the anticipated payment timeline once reports are finalized.
Lindberg also addressed concerns from specialty crop growers who say most assistance is directed to row crop producers, outlining how the USDA allocated the funding. He also discussed calls from House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson to expand assistance to additional agricultural sectors such as dairy, timber, and specialty crops, and whether Congress could authorize additional funding.
Beyond domestic assistance, he addressed market access concerns, including efforts to diversify export markets and reduce reliance on China. He discussed scrutiny of the Phase One trade agreement, and highlighted USDA’s upcoming trade missions, which the department says are part of what Secretary Rollins has described as a “new golden age for American agriculture.” He concluded by outlining how expanded trade efforts and international engagement could create longer-term opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers.
