Farmers Say Trump Admin Providing Relief, but More Assistance Needed

The administration delivered the aid in a timely fashion, say farmers, who are using the funds to counter high production costs and weak commodity prices.

A farmer conducts air-cleaning of one of the large corn heads at Carnahan & Sons family farm in Knox County, Ind. Courtesy of Dennis Carnahan

Row crop farmers in the Midwest say the Trump adminstration’s $12 billion assistance program is already providing relief for their stressed budgets, but things need to change if they hope to see a real turnaround.

With farmers under pressure from high input costs, record-low crop prices, and ongoing trade market disruptions, President Donald Trump in December announced a bridge payment program through the USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program to expedite funds to America’s producers.