LITTLE ROCK – As farmers face high input costs, low commodity prices and a postponed farm bill, the USDA is issuing up to $10 billion in direct economic assistance to agricultural producers.

The Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, authorized by the American Relief Act of 2025, will provide payments to growers based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year. Major row crops that qualify include corn, soybeans, cotton, rice, peanuts and wheat.

“This assistance is greatly appreciated by growers and no doubt, they need all the help they can get,” said Scott Stiles, an extension economics program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The last few years have resulted in the most difficult economic situation that we’ve seen in the state since the mid-1980’s.

“In the background, we have now reached the third year without an updated farm bill,” Stiles said. “Arguably, you could say we’ve been operating under the same farm program provisions for the past 10 years. Persistently high input costs and a deep correction in commodity prices has producers in the state struggling. This is evidenced by the sheer number of operations that have gone out of business in the past two years.”

In order to streamline and simplify the delivery of ECAP funding, USDA’s Farm Service Agency will begin sending out pre-filled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities soon after the signup period opens on March 19. Producers do not have to wait for their pre-filled ECAP application to apply, but can visit the FSA website. Stiles provides more information on eligibility, payment amounts and the application process in his most recent blog post.

“The assistance from ECAP will help, but a much improved and modernized farm policy safety net is needed for producers,” Stiles said. “Hopefully we will see some progress on that front in 2025.”