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The USDA says it’s on track to deliver payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program as early as this month, providing timely financial relief to farmers facing economic pressure.
The program was designed to help producers bridge gaps caused by rising input costs, market disruptions, and lingering impacts from recent years of volatility in agriculture. USDA officials say processing is moving ahead as planned, with payments expected to begin reaching eligible farmers in the coming weeks.
According to USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce, “We’ve gotten most of the procedural things done in order to get the payments out by the end of February, and that timeline looks good. I mean, we’re very confident we’re going to be able to do that.”
The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program offers direct financial support to help producers maintain operations, manage cash flow, and stay viable during challenging times. Officials emphasize that the program is meant to be a short-term bridge, not a long-term subsidy, giving farmers stability as they plan for the upcoming growing season.
Fordyce adds, “I’m just urging farmers to take about 10 or 15 minutes when they’ve got a little bit of downtime, just go to login.gov and set up an account. We’re going to try it on FBA, and we’re hopeful that it works pretty well for the folks that want to use it. We’re going to continue to use that platform as we deploy other programs going forward.”
Farmers who have already applied are encouraged to monitor their USDA communications and ensure their information is up to date to avoid delays.
More information about eligibility and payment timelines is available online at USDA.gov.