Idaho farmers to cash in on Trump Administration’s $12 Billion Farmer Bridge Payment program

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Local farmers could be receiving a post-holiday bonus, as the Trump Administration rolls out a temporary $12-billion Farmer Bridge Payment program.

Announced a week ago by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the one-time payments are being made in “response to temporary trade market disruption and increased production costs.”

Eligible farmers include producers of row crops, including “corn, soybeans, wheat, sunflowers and barley,” according to a United States Department of Agriculture news release.

$1 billion of the $12-billion fund will cover payments for “specialty crops and sugar.”

The USDA news release blamed farmers’ tight economic conditions on policies implemented by the Biden Administration that resulted in  “record-high input prices and zero trade deals.”

The deadline for farmers to verify their acreage for eligibility in the program is 3 PM on Friday, December 19.

“The plan we are announcing today ensures American farmers can continue to plan for the next crop year. It is imperative we do what it takes to help our farmers, because if we cannot feed ourselves, we will no longer have a country,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in a release.  “With this program serving as a bridge to the improvements President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made, it will allow farmers to leverage strengthened price protection risk management tools and the reliability of fair trade deals so they do not have to depend on large ad hoc assistance packages from the government.”

Farmer Bridge Assistance payments will roll out on February 28, 2026. 

For more information on how to qualify, visit the USDA website or email farmerbridge@usda.gov.

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