The USDA is issuing a second round of relief funds to eligible agricultural producers across the U.S. Photo by Jesse Gardner, Unsplash.

News Release

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing a second Emergency Commodity Assistance Program payment to eligible producers for the 2024 crop year. Of the authorized $10 billion in ECAP assistance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency has already provided over $8 billion in payments to eligible producers to mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made the announcement yesterday at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City.

“Initial ECAP payments were factored by 85% to ensure that total program payments did not exceed $10 billion in available funding. Since additional funds remain, FSA is issuing a second payment,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Brooke Appleton. “As producers continue to face market volatility, these payments along with the entire suite of supplemental disaster assistance programs, will help producers navigate market uncertainty, pay down debt for the 2024 crop year, and secure financing for the next crop year.”

Payments will automatically be made to eligible producers with approved ECAP applications who received an initial payment. Any application approved after Thursday, Sept. 25, will receive one lump sum payment. Authorized by the “American Relief Act,” these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year.

ECAP Payments

FSA is issuing a second payment ECAP equal to 14% of the gross ECAP payment to eligible producers, making the final payment factor 99%.

ECAP assistance is calculated using a flat payment rate for the eligible commodity multiplied by the eligible reported acres. Payments are based on acreage and not production. For acres reported as prevented planted, ECAP assistance is calculated at 50%.

Additional USDA Supplemental Disaster Assistance

In addition to the over $8 billion in ECAP payments, USDA has issued more than $1 billion in Emergency Livestock Relief Program assistance to livestock producers impacted by drought and federally managed lands wildfires in 2023 and 2024 with an additional $1 billion in expected payments for livestock producers impacted by floods and non-federally managed land wildfires in 2023 and 2024. Livestock producers have until Friday, Oct. 31, to apply for assistance. Producers have also received over $5.4 billion through Stage 1 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program for indemnified crop losses in 2023 and 2024. SDRP Stage 2 assistance for uncovered, quality, and shallow losses will be announced soon.

USDA’s disaster recovery programs complement recently announced state block grant agreements in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia totaling $958 million in assistance to help agricultural producers with disaster recovery needs. USDA is working with 14 states on block grant agreements.

More Information

FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.