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“We encourage the administration to explore practical credit and lending tools that help farmers access inputs today and pay over time, so retailers can continue serving as trusted advisors while operating on slim margins,” said Richard Gupton, ARA’s SVP of Public Policy and Counsel.

Leadership says the new program aims to lower farmer production costs while tipping a hat to Secretary Kennedy’s MAHA initiatives.

As farmers wait for official rates expected the week of Dec. 22, Paul Neiffer shares his calculation for six crops. Richard Fordyce with USDA also lays out the timeline for delivering payments and what farmers need to do to be on the list.

The bridge payment announcement coincides with the busiest time of year with higher volumes of land sales; 40% or greater of annual volumes occur in the fourth quarter for some ag real estate companies.

State officials are preparing to take the land and legacy of a farmer for the crime of water “violations.”

During Monday’s roundtable with farmers, Trump said he’ll cut environmental requirements on tractors and other farm equipment, pushing manufacturers to lower prices and make machines simpler to operate and repair.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance says it stands “ready to work with the administration and Congress to advance a meaningful assistance package to support specialty crop growers during this difficult period.”

Eight new members join the board. The current chair of ARA is Dave Spears with MKC.

USDA will deliver $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to help farmers offset 2025 trade disruptions and rising costs. Eligible producers must verify 2025 acreage reports by Dec. 19, with payments expected by Feb. 28, 2026.

Preemptive control of heavy-hitting diseases like white mold, frogeye leaf spot, Cercospora leaf blight and others is now possible thanks to specially designed soybeans that act like an early warning system, enabling proactive fungicide treatments and yield protection.