Struggles In 2025 Resulted In Ad Hoc Assistance

For crop producers, margins have narrowed rapidly over the last couple of years, putting a lot of stress on the crop side of the balance for farm income.  And former Agriculture Department chief economist Seth Meyer said that stress is due to a combination of factors.  Meyer noted these stresses led USDA to introduce various ad hoc assistance programs for growers in 2025.

“Into the coming year, we're talking about bridge payments, which I think the secretary has described as a method to get us to the safety net programs of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ARC and PLC payments in the fall.”

Meyer said such payments need to be factored in by producers in 2026 when it comes to their overall bottom line and cash flow, along with the usual considerations such as inputs, weather, and commodity demand.

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