Photo by Georgia Department of Agriculture
Keeping pace with the Trump administration, newly confirmed U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins hit the ground running with a flurry of announcements, cancelations and visits to farm country. One visit was to the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for a listening session with agricultural leaders and producers.
Rollins was also joined by CAES leadership at the college’s Iron Horse Farm to hear about key industry challenges, including disaster relief, trade markets and the future of American farming.
Throughout the discussion, producers highlighted the critical role of CAES faculty and UGA Cooperative Extension in supporting Georgia’s agricultural economy. Producers credited CAES researchers with helping improve efficiency, increase yields and ensure food safety, making Georgia-grown products more competitive in global markets.
Top Issues For Producers
Producers and industry leaders questioned Rollins about federal support amid ongoing challenges, including the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Casey Cox Kerr, a peanut farmer and owner of Longleaf Ridge Farms in Camilla, Georgia, urged Rollins to push for expanded market opportunities, as domestic peanut markets are oversaturated. She also called for increased funding for agricultural research, citing the work of UGA Extension nutrition specialists in Family and Consumer Sciences, whose outreach has helped early peanut introduction.
A cotton grower described the financial strain caused by soaring production costs and stagnant cotton prices, noting that outdated reference prices in the 2018 Farm Bill add to the challenge.
Solutions For The Future Of Farming
The discussion ended with a broader concern: the aging agricultural workforce and the declining interest in farm careers. With the average farmer’s age increasing, one beef producer warned of an impending crisis, as young people often lack awareness of agricultural career opportunities. Additionally, those without family ties to farming face significant financial barriers to land and equipment ownership. Without intervention, he cautioned, the next generation of farmers may never materialize.
Rollins, a Texas A&M graduate and former 4-H and FFA member, assured attendees she took their concerns seriously. She pledged to bring their input to Congress as lawmakers work toward a new Farm Bill in September.
FSA Announces ECAP Program
In an effort to provide relief to producers, USDA recently issued a notice announcing the funding for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, which will provide economic assistance payments to eligible producers of allowable commodities for the 2024 crop year. ECAP is a new FSA program authorized by the American Relief Act 2025. The notice announces the eligibility for commodities, acres, producers and losses, plus payment calculations, limitations and how to apply, including a pre-filled application and any required adjustments for ECAP. The program will be available until Aug. 15.
ECAP will use up to $10 billion to issue one-time economic assistance payments, which are intended to help farmers cope with losses from natural disasters and a difficult farm economy, and will help preserve family farms and ranches across the country while also continuing to ensure food and agricultural security for our nation.
For growers who follow all the reporting rules at FSA and meet guidelines, payment per acre on peanuts is $75.71. Some other commodity payments per acre include cotton – $84.74, corn – $42.91, wheat – $30.69, and soybeans – $29.76.
ECAP payments will be issued as applications are approved. Initial ECAP payments will be factored by 85% to ensure that total program payments do not exceed available funding. If additional funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.
ECAP assistance will be 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 planting, ECAP assistance will be calculated at 50%.
For more information or payment estimates, visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap.
Export Market Funding Opportunities
With the tariff situation changing nearly daily, export promotion programs become even more important. Recently, USDA launched agricultural trade promotion programs for fiscal year 2026 and is accepting applications for four export market development programs. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service has opened funding opportunities for the Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development Program, Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program and Emerging Markets Program that will help U.S. agricultural producers promote and sell their goods internationally.
This action follows Rollins’ announcement detailing six international trade trips in the next six months to promote U.S. agricultural exports. The Secretary will visit Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
“Our job at USDA is to open new markets for our farmers, ranchers and producers. The previous administration left agriculture with a $50 billion trade deficit. President Trump and I are actively working to open new markets and remove existing barriers,” says Rollins. “These programs are a crucial step in sustaining long lasting economic growth in rural America.”
Climate Slush Fund Cancelled
Rollins also announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. Following a review of each Biden-era partnership, it became clear that the majority of these projects had sky-high administration fees and provided less than half of the federal funding directly to farmers. Select projects may continue if it is demonstrated that a significant amount of the federal funds awarded will go to farmers.
With this action, USDA is cutting bureaucratic red tape, streamlining reporting and lowering the paperwork burden on producers. Additionally, grant agreements based on three Farmer First policy priorities:
- A minimum of 65% of federal funds must go to producers;
- Grant recipients must have enrolled at least one producer as of 12/31/2024; and
- Grant recipients must have made a payment to at least one producer as of 12/31/2024.
This reform effort will utilize existing funding, with no new funding made available for these partnerships. PG
