The administration has announced a US$12 billion one-time bridge payment package for U.S. farmers facing volatile markets, high input costs, and trade uncertainty. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew said, "We appreciate the administration's decision to deliver economic assistance to family farmers and ranchers at a time of serious stress." He added that "short-term payments, while important, are only a first step," stressing the need for long-term structural changes to the farm safety net.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall welcomed the move, saying, "Farmers are grateful to President Trump and Secretary Brooke Rollins for providing resources that, for many, could make the difference between staying in business to plant another crop, or shuttering a family farm." He noted that farmers are "expected to lose $34 billion this year alone" while facing higher household and operating costs.
© AFBF
House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson told Agri-Pulse that current pressure on growers reflects "a combination of not just tariffs, but just a really challenging farm economy," with inflation still above average. He said the new aid is expected to better reflect current commodity prices than the previous Market Facilitation Program, which mainly compensated for export losses. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Dec. 2 that "We do have a bridge payment."
However, specialty crop representation remains a central concern. The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) had earlier written to the President on Oct. 6, calling for targeted assistance for growers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops. SCFBA co-chair and National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles said signals from Congress leave advocates "unclear if that initial $12 billion package includes anything for specialty crops," adding that "it's vastly better to get this right straight out of the gate than have to do it piecemeal." He cited estimates that russet potato growers alone "may be underwater to the tune of $486 million."
On Dec. 8, SCFBA co-chairs Cathy Burns, Mike Joyner, Dave Puglia, and Kam Quarles issued a joint statement on the announced package: "We are disappointed that specialty crop growers were not included in today's announcement." They added, "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."
Source 1: NFU
Source 2: AFBF
Source 3: Produce Processing
Source 4: SCFBA
