Every once in a while, the stars align and our elected officials, political appointees, and career USDA employees get it right and, in this case, right on time. On December 21, 2024, President Biden signed the American Relief Act of 2025—the continuing resolution (CR) that funds the government through March 14, 2025, and extended the 2018 Farm Bill provisions through September 30, 2025—into law. Also included in the CR was $10 billion for economic assistance for farmers and $20 billion to cover losses due to natural disasters. In a nod to the dire conditions in the countryside, Congress stipulated that USDA had 90 days to get the program developed and the assistance flowing. Agricultural committee leadership in both the House and Senate kept the pressure on Congressional leadership to include help for our nation’s struggling farmers, and Congress delivered. All that needs to be said is “well done and thank you.”
Between the time the CR was signed into law and Secretary Rollins was confirmed, career USDA-FSA employees were working on developing implementation details and software updates so they could meet the Congressional mandate of 90 days. Once confirmed, Secretary Rollins made getting the funding out by the deadline one of her top priorities. Again, all that needs to be said is “well done and thank you.”
As was reported by every agricultural news outlet, on March 18, 2025—and ahead of schedule—USDA-FSA announced that signup was open for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), the economic disaster part of the CR that will provide up to $10 billion to eligible producers. This program provides economic assistance payments to eligible producers of specific commodities to help mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices during the 2024 crop year. Specific program details are available from USDA here (https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/emergency-commodity-assistance-program).
As my colleagues and I have written in Southern Ag Today multiple times over the past six months, the assistance was badly needed, and I know it is much appreciated. Now farmers are beginning to email with questions about the timing and potential benefits from the natural disaster program. I know that the Secretary and USDA are working diligently to finalize this program, but I have a favor to ask in the interim: send a “thank you” email to House and Senate Agricultural Committee leadership (and their staff) and Secretary Rollins thanking them for their hard work on getting this much needed assistance out the door. All of their emails are easy to find, and if you do that you also deserve a … “well done and thank you.”
Outlaw, Joe. “Signup for Economic Assistance Announced… Producers Turn Their Focus to Physical Disaster Assistance.” Southern Ag Today 5(13.4). March 27, 2025. Permalink
