The USDA is wrapping up a major round of farmer support, with more than $10 billion already distributed through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. In an exclusive interview with the Red River Farm Network, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce says the program delivered timely help to producers facing tight margins. “Over $10 billion right now has been obligated, more than 540,000 applications,” Fordyce said. “Overall, I think we’re pleased with the way it was deployed; dollars are coming to them at a really important time.” Attention now turns to the next phase, support for specialty crop producers. Fordyce says that the program will follow a similar structure, with payments based on acreage reporting and data analysis. He emphasized the broader goal of helping farmers manage ongoing economic pressure. “There was some intentionality when we included the word bridge; the hope was that these payments would be a bridge to get us to the final implementation of longer-term farm policy improvements.” Click here to listen to Jamie Dickerman’s full interview with Richard Fordyce.
