USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance Program — Emergency Per-Acre Payments for 2025 Crop Year
Legal Authority
- 15 U.S.C. § 714 (Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act) — Authorizes the CCC to make loans, purchases, payments, and other operations to stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices; primary funding vehicle for emergency and ad hoc farm assistance programs
- 7 CFR Part 1414 — USDA Farm Service Agency implementing regulations for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program; specifies eligible producers, covered crops, payment rates, base acres, application procedures, and payment limits
Key Mechanics
7 CFR Part 1414 establishes the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program — an ad hoc emergency payment program funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) under 15 U.S.C. § 714 to provide per-acre payments to eligible producers for the 2025 crop year. Bridge assistance programs are temporary measures enacted when commodity prices or farm income fall sharply and Congress has not yet reauthorized a Farm Bill or enacted supplemental agricultural assistance — they "bridge" the gap between the expiration of prior-law programs and new legislation. Eligible producers must have base acres for a covered commodity (the same base acre records used in ARC/PLC program enrollment) and must have been actively farming during the applicable crop year. Payments are calculated as a flat per-acre amount multiplied by eligible base acres, subject to per-person and per-legal-entity payment limits (typically $125,000 per person per year consistent with general Farm Bill payment limits). Producers apply through their local FSA office; FSA verifies eligibility using existing farm records and makes payments through standard CCC disbursement mechanisms. The program does not require crop loss or price documentation — it is a supplemental income payment, not a disaster program.
Current Rule (2026)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Citation | 7 CFR Part 1414 |
| Issuing agency | USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) / Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) |
| Statutory authority | 15 U.S.C. § 714 (Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act) |
| Last major amendment | New program — no prior amendments |
What This Rule Does
The Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program is a CCC emergency payment program designed to help farmers weather economic disruption during a transition period in federal farm policy. When existing farm support programs are being updated, revised, or replaced by Congress, there is typically a gap — a period when the old support structure has ended or changed but the new one is not yet in place. The FBA Program bridges that gap by providing direct per-acre payments to eligible farmers who planted covered commodities in the 2025 crop year.
Seven CFR Part 1414 governs who qualifies, how to apply, and how payments are calculated. The program covers a broad range of crops — from major commodities like corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice to specialty crops like chickpeas, lentils, flax, sesame, and safflower. Eligible producers receive a payment rate specific to each commodity multiplied by their reported planted acres.
Key Provisions
- § 1414.1 — Applicability: CCC pays eligible producers who signed up for FBA, with payment amounts based on 2025 planted acres reported on time and per-acre rates CCC sets for each eligible commodity
- § 1414.2 — Administration: FSA county committees administer the program in the field; the CCC Executive Vice President holds final authority and may overturn county or State committee decisions
- § 1414.3 — Definitions and eligible commodities: the 2025 crop of barley, canola, corn, cotton (upland and extra-long staple), dry peas, flax, large and small chickpeas, lentils, mustard, oats, peanuts, rapeseed, rice, safflower, sesame, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower, and wheat; crambe is also listed but carries a $0 payment rate
- § 1414.4 — Eligible producers: U.S. citizens, lawful resident aliens, qualifying business entities composed entirely of citizens or residents, and Indian tribes; State and local governments may participate only if they own the land and apply proceeds to public school support (capped at $500,000, except for states with fewer than 1.5 million people); producers must be actively engaged in farming and in compliance with federal conservation requirements
- § 1414.5 — Eligible acres: acres planted in the United States to an eligible commodity for the 2025 crop year and reported to FSA on Form FSA-578 by December 19, 2025; cover crops, grazing acres, experimental plots, and volunteer plants are not eligible; skip-row planting patterns count based on total acres devoted to the commodity
- § 1414.6 — Application: producers contact their FSA county office to receive a pre-filled CCC-555 form and submit it to any FSA county office by April 17, 2026; one application covers all eligible crops and all FSA county offices accept submissions
- § 1414.7 — Payment calculation: payment = eligible acres × per-acre rate for each commodity; rates are set by CCC per commodity and range from $0 (crambe) to commodity-specific amounts reflecting the market disruption for each crop
- § 1414.8 — Payment limits: no producer, business entity, or joint venture member may receive more than $155,000 from this program; the limit applies to direct payments and payments flowing through partnerships or other business structures
- § 1414.9 — General provisions: producers must retain documentation for 3 years after application approval; USDA and the Government Accountability Office may conduct on-farm visits to verify eligibility during normal business hours
How It Affects You
If you planted any of the eligible commodities in 2025 and reported your acreage to FSA by December 19, 2025, you may be eligible for a FBA payment. The application deadline is April 17, 2026 — contact your FSA county office immediately to get your pre-filled CCC-555 form and confirm your acreage records are correct.
Payment rates vary significantly by commodity. Corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton tend to carry higher per-acre rates reflecting their larger share of U.S. acreage and the disruption those markets experienced. Check with your FSA office for the current rate table — rates are set by CCC and published with the program.
The $155,000 per-person cap applies across all your entities. If you farm through multiple LLCs, partnerships, or joint ventures, payments flowing through all of those entities count toward your individual limit. FSA applies the payment limitation rules from 7 CFR Part 1400 to determine how payments are attributed to individual farmers.
State and local government landowners have a $500,000 cap on their FBA payments (except for small-population states). If a state agency or county government produces eligible commodities on government-owned land and uses the proceeds for public schools, it can participate — but must document that school-support purpose.
Statutory Authority
This rule implements:
- 15 U.S.C. § 714 — Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act; grants CCC broad authority to support farm income and stabilize prices by purchasing commodities, making loans, and providing direct payments; the FBA Program is a direct exercise of this authority
Recent Rulemakings
No prior Federal Register amendments — Part 1414 is a new program created to address the 2025 crop year.