Commodity producers to see their share of $10 billion soon
Commodity producers will start to see their share of $10 billion under the new Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) by the end of last week, USDA announced pmTuesday.
The financial relief was provided in the American Relief Act of 2025 to help producers offset some of their financial losses from 2024 crops.
Hitting its deadline to get the program started, USDA officials said enrollment for ECAP will begin Wednesday, March 19. Commodity producers will receive pre-filled applications based on their 2024 acreage report, but farmers also can visit their local FSA office starting Wednesday to enroll in person. Once FSA processes an application, producers can expect payments to show up in their bank accounts within three business days, said Brooke Appleton, deputy undersecretary for Food Production and Conservation at USDA.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins noted producers are facing higher costs and market uncertainty, and the Trump administration is meeting its deadline to get the aid out.
“With clear direction from Congress, USDA has prioritized streamlining the process and accelerating these payments ahead of schedule, ensuring farmers have the resources necessary to manage rising expenses and secure financing for next season,” Rollins said.
Eligible commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, upland and extra-long staple cotton, long- and medium-grain rice, barley, oats, peanuts, other oilseeds, dry peas, lentils and small and large chickpeas.
The payments will be based on 2024 planted acres for the eligible crop. Prevented planting acres will be counted at 50% of the lost acres reported. There were just over 4.7 million prevented-planting acres in 2024.
The legislation had specific formulas setting payment at either 26% of economic losses — the difference between production costs and gross returns for that commodity — or, 8% of the crop’s Price Loss Coverage (PLC) reference price, multiplied by the average PLC payment yield, then multiplied by the eligible acres on that farm. For corn, wheat and soybeans, the 26% calculation provided a higher payment rate.
Steve Peterson, associate administrator for the Farm Service Agency, said production costs will be based on an Economic Research Service report of detailed farm expenses. Gross returns will be pegged to a producer’s reported acres, multiplied by the crop price reported in the Dec. 10, 2024, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), which was $4.10 a bushel for corn, $10.20 for soybeans and $5.60 for wheat.
In the Federal Register listing, USDA lists per-acre payment rates by commodity as:
— Corn, $42.91 per acre.
— Soybeans, $29.76 per acre.
— Wheat, $30.69 per acre.
— Cotton, $84.74 per acre.
— Sorghum, $42.52 per acre.
— Rice, $76.94 per acre.
For now, USDA will factor payments at 85% of expected total payment. Enrollment in ECAP will continue through Aug. 15. If additional funds remain after Aug. 15, Appleton said producers may receive a second payment based on remaining funds available.
The payments come as corn and soybean prices have been stagnant or lower since the crop insurance price was set at the end of February at $4.70 a bushel for corn and $10.54 a bushel for soybeans. Economists for corn and soybean groups said earlier this month at Commodity Classic that farmers, on average, are facing $100 an acre loss planting either crop this spring.
Beyond the economic aid, farmers who suffered losses from natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 also should expect more details coming soon about how USDA will distribute nearly $21 billion in disaster aid. That includes $2 billion set aside for livestock producers and other funds that will be block-granted to states.
“We’re hoping to have more details on that coming soon, and giving timelines on when to expect those various programs to be rolled out,” Appleton said.
More details can be found in USDA’s Federal Register listing for ECAP: https://public-
USDA also created a calculator for ECAP payments that producers can use. Go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/…
For more information on ECAP, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/