President Donald Trump has unveiled a $12 billion farm aid package, drawing praise from the Alabama Farmers Federation. The assistance is designed to offset rising costs and depressed commodity prices as farmers prepare financing for the 2026 crop year. Most of the funding will provide direct payments to row crop producers, with additional support under review.
The Alabama Farmers Federation praised the announcement. Federation President Jimmy Parnell said the relief “is yet another demonstration of President Trump’s commitment to the American farmer,” adding that the payments will help farmers “weather the storm of low commodity prices brought about by the Biden Administration’s neglect of international trade for four years.”
The new assistance package follows earlier relief—including Emergency Commodity Assistance Program payments, disaster aid and provisions secured in the One Big Beautiful Bill—which together marked the first major updates farmers had seen in a long-delayed federal farm bill.
About $11 billion of the newly announced support will fund the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, a one-time payment system for row crop farmers scheduled for distribution by February 28. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said producers should know by the end of December how much aid they can expect, allowing them to meet with lenders and make financial plans for the 2026 season.
Parnell credited the administration for following through on its promises. “We appreciate President Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins delivering on their commitment to strengthen American agriculture,” he said. “We’re confident the trade deals negotiated by this administration will restore the positive trade balance our farmers have historically provided. We thank President Trump for helping ensure they can plant another crop in 2026.”
The remaining $1 billion will be held as the U.S. Department of Agriculture evaluates how ongoing trade disruptions have affected specialty crop producers and how federal funds can offset those losses.
Speaking at a White House roundtable, Trump framed the aid as a reinvestment of tariff revenues. “I’m delighted to announce this afternoon that the United States will be taking a small portion of the hundreds of billions of dollars we receive in tariffs… We’re going to use that money to provide $12 billion in economic assistance to American farmers,” he said, surrounded by growers from across the country.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the assistance will help stabilize farm operations in the near term as national economic conditions improve. “These direct payments will give producers the breathing room they need to market this year’s harvest and plan for next season,” he said. “Thanks to the administration’s pro-growth policies, input costs like fuel and fertilizer are easing…. Interest rates are coming down, helping farmers prepare for the next harvest.”
