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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday, Feb. 20, announced the enrollment period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance program will run from Feb. 23 to April 17.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in December announced the $12 million FBA payments, which are intended to offset low prices and market price impacts from tariffs on export markets for the 2025 crop year. The program will provide $11 billion for traditional farm program commodities, including corn, soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum, barley, oats, cotton, peanuts, rice and other crops. The remaining $1 billion will be used for specialty crops and sugar. Per-acre payment amounts also were set in December.
Pre-filled applications will be available online to producers with a Login.gov account who filed their 2025 crop acreage report for eligible commodities. Producers who have a Login.gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application from fsa.usda.gov/fba, a statement from the USDA said. Additionally, producers can also request their pre-filled FBA application from their FSA county office.
To apply for FBA online, producers can start by visiting fsa.usda.gov/fba to create their Login.gov account. Producers who have an existing Login.gov account, can work with FSA using their existing account. With a secure Login.gov account, producers can be among the first to apply for FBA allowing them to view, certify, and submit their application as well as track their application and payment status.
For assistance creating a Login.gov account, visit https://login.gov/help.
April 17, 2026, is the deadline to submit completed FBA applications. Producers can complete FBA applications online or submit to their FSA county office.
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said farmers can expedite their payments by applying online. By doing so, they could receive payments as early as Feb. 28, she said.
The bridge payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and are administered by the Farm Service Agency.
USDA also has announced the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program, which will encompass the remaining $1 billion out of the $12 billion program. Rates for that program are expected to be announced in March.
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