The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened enrollment for the new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which will distribute $11 billion in one-time payments to row crop producers affected by trade disruptions and rising production costs.
The enrollment period runs Feb. 23 – April 17.
Farm input costs have steadily increased, which has eroded farm profitability and created a precarious financial situation for many Kentucky farmers, John Mahan, KY Corn Growers Association Treasurer, said.
“We’ve been challenged by input costs for the past several years, coupled with softer market prices. It’s sadly made for a perfect storm where farmers have not been able to realize much of any profit at all.
“Our input costs like fertilizer, seed, and chemicals have all stayed high while our market prices have not followed suit. We’ve been left in a deficit now for three years. And 2026 doesn’t look much better. It doesn’t look profitable for this year, and now fertilizer prices are going up again.”
Mahan said farmers wish programs like FBA didn’t have to exist in the first place.
“While we’re all grateful for the money from the Bridge Program, it’s not enough to fill the gap. We’d much rather have strong markets and reasonable input prices than government handouts.”
The program was announced in December 2025. As of March 3, USDA had already received nearly 300,000 applications, and obligated for payment a little over $6 billion, according to Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation.
Payments are based on each eligible farmer’s 2025 planted acres reported to FSA. Eligible commodities command a different payment rate per acre, with the rate of corn at $44.36 per acre.
Eligible commodities that triggered a payment include barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat; and oil seeds such as canola, flax, mustard, safflower, sesame, and sunflower.
There are a few limitations to the program, however. Payments are capped at $155,000 per producer or legal entity. Producers with adjusted gross income above $900,000 are not eligible for the program.
For a farmer to qualify for the FBA program, they must be actively engaged in farming, have risk and interest in an eligible commodity, and must have reported eligible 2025 planted acres to FSA by Dec. 19, 2025.
Crop insurance enrollment is not required to receive FBA payments.
Growers can apply online with the website login.gov, or through their local FSA office.
Most producers have access to a pre-filled FBA application to streamline the process if they timely filed their 2025 crop acreage report. This pre-filled application is also available to those who wish to apply in person at their FSA office, not just those who apply online.
Click here to apply online and to learn more about the program requirements, other specialty crop payments, full commodity payment rates, and more.