Administration unveils $12 billion in farmer aid

Dec 11, 2025

As soybean sales to China trickle in, the Trump administration on Dec. 8 unveiled a farm aid package, offering $12 billion in assistance to farmers hit hard by low crop prices and the impact of tariffs.

The aid package includes as much as $11 billion in one-time payments to farmers who grow corn, cotton, oats, soybeans and wheat, among other crops, under the Agriculture Department’s newly designed Farmer Bridge Assistance program. Some $1 billion is being held back to assess needs of growers of specialty crops, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments to be released by Feb. 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is accurate by Dec. 19. Commodity-specific payment rates will be released by the end of the month. This national loss average is based on FSA reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices.

Soybeans and products were lower last week, and it seems that Chinese demand is part of the price now, said Jack Scoville, analyst at Price Futures Group.

The USDA announced new sales Dec. 8, and the Trump administration says China is on pace to buy the 12 million tons of U.S. soybeans it announced a few weeks ago by the end of February.

“The U.S. will have to compete with South America for sales in a diminishing Chinese market and U.S. prices are too high to complete many new sales,” Scoville said.

Corn market trends remain mixed, Scoville said. He is seeing discussions that export demand is less now because of more world competition and ethanol demand is less as well.

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Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm