Trump Unveils $12 Billion Farmer Bridge Assistance With Payments Set for Feb. 28

USDA will calculate per-acre payments, with a $155,000 cap per farm and an income eligibility cutoff at $900,000. Applications are expected to open in the coming weeks, and payments are scheduled to begin on February 28. $11 billion is designated for row-crop producers such as corn, soybeans and cotton, with $1 billion for some specialty crops. Trump says the aid will be financed by tariff receipts after duties that triggered foreign retaliation, which has cut U.S. soybean sales to China and raised input costs like fertilizer. Many farmers welcome the short-term relief, while advocates call the situation a policy-created crisis and warn the payout risks favoring large commodity operations over smaller producers.