WASHINGTON, DC – Late last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (USDA FSA) published a
notice outlining final payment factors for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) providing economic relief to producers of eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year (see
USA Rice Daily, March 18, 2025).
Rice was among the eligible commodities encompassing long grain and medium grain, including temperate japonica, short grain, and sweet rice.
The FSA is issuing a second payment equal to 14 percent of the gross ECAP payment to eligible producers, resulting in a final payment factor of 99 percent. The remaining 14 percent comes out to $10.77 per acre. The initial 85 percent was $65.40 per acre, ensuring that total program payments did not exceed the available funding of $10 billion.
"We appreciate the USDA's quick deployment of ECAP funds back in March and the final tranche that was just announced,” said Fred Zaunbrecher, a Louisiana rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors. “The remaining funds will provide much-needed relief to rice farmers who continue to face low commodity prices and high input costs.”
Any application that is already in approved status and has received an initial payment will have an additional payment issued for the difference. Any application approved on or after September 24, 2025, will have one payment issued using the 99 percent factor.
Additional ECAP details can be found
here, and an ECAP payment estimation calculator is available
here.