WASHINGTON, DC – Last Thursday, USA Rice joined the American Farm Bureau Federation, along with more than 50 other national agricultural organizations, in highlighting the economic crisis in rural America and urging lawmakers to provide urgent relief to farmers as they work to secure financing to grow their next crop. On Friday, Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and John Hoeven (R-ND) released a framework that, if enacted, would provide targeted relief and backstop the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program and help get farmers to the fall when the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) improvements come into effect.
Specifically, the proposal by the Chairmen of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee would expand coverage for the FBA programs to include a greater share of producer losses. The FBA top-up would be a separate payment limit aligned with the updated limits in OBBBA and would cover acres prevented from being planted.
The proposal also includes a separate fund to help producers cover losses that exceed national averages. The aim of this component is to provide relief to producers who were forced to sell at depressed prices or experienced higher costs of production. Additionally, the program would expand support for specialty crop producers, sugar beet and cane growers, and would increase the farm ownership and operating loan limits. To date, topline numbers for the package have not published, nor have official commodity-specific payment rates been released.
“America’s farmers are resilient, hardworking and deeply committed to feeding and clothing our nation. Unfortunately, resilience and hard work are not enough to withstand the significant challenges that have been mounting for several years. The message is clear that while they are extremely grateful for the investments Congress, President Trump, and Secretary Brooke Rollins recently delivered, they need more help to keep farming,” said Senator John Boozman. “We need to maintain a safe, affordable and reliable food supply and the only way to achieve that is to support the men and women who make that possible.”
Since the enactment of the OBBA earlier this year, USA Rice has continued to educate and encourage lawmakers and the administration to provide sufficient bridge assistance to help farmers until the fall of 2026, when the new reference prices come into effect. As Congress continues to work through the appropriations process, USA Rice remains engaged with Capitol Hill to provide a meaningful bridge that complements the FBA and strengthens the rice industry. The ag coalition letter transmitted last week acknowledges that producer losses exceed what the FBA Program can cover, and the extensive, cumulative losses farmers have experienced year over year necessitate additional assistance.
“Rice farmers continue to face tremendous financial pressure due to increased cost of production and foreign rice that keeps driving our down our prices. The proposal by Senators Boozman and Hoeven to expand farm assistance is welcome news to those struggling to secure financing for the upcoming crop year,” said Fred Zaunbrecher, Louisiana rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers Board. “The FBA payments of nearly $133 per acre expected by the end of February are welcome news for rice farmers, but with per acre losses estimated at $364 for the 2025 crop year, it is imperative Congress step in to help further stabilize the farm economy.”
For more information, you can read the agricultural stakeholder letter here and the joint press release from Senators Boozman and Hoeven here.