The USDA is issuing up to US$10 billion directly to agricultural producers for the 2024 crop year amid surging input costs and falling commodity prices. The payments will be disbursed through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) to help producers overcome cost pressures.

“Producers are facing higher costs and market uncertainty, and the Trump administration is ensuring they get the support they need without delay,” says US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. 

“With clear direction from Congress, USDA has prioritized streamlining the process and accelerating these payments ahead of schedule, ensuring farmers have the resources necessary to manage rising expenses and secure financing for next season.”

These economic relief payments are eligible for key crops such as wheat, sorghum, corn, barley, rice, soy, peanuts, and various lentils. The scheme also covers canola, rapeseed, flax, sunflower, and sesame seeds.

The payments will consider planted and prevented planted crop acres for the 2024 crop year. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will administer the payments. The department will factor initial ECAP payments by 85% to ensure total program payments do not exceed available funding.

US farmers are grappling with plummeting prices, which have made it more expensive to plant some crops than sell them. Growers are aiming to increase corn plantations to offset losses from other agricultural crops.

The initial weeks of the Trump administration have resulted in several setbacks for farmers, such as the USDA grant freeze, which has led to many agricultural organizations halting investments, sizing down, or missing out on key payments.

Additionally, US farmers are now bracing for potential losses from the country’s escalating trade disputes with Canada, the EU, and Mexico.

The European Commission has reacted to Trump’s sanctions on EU steel and aluminum imports by announcing €26 billion (US$28.3 billion) worth of retaliatory measures, including US agricultural products like poultry, beef, and certain seafood.