Guebert: More USDA money means less farm program reform

USDA Releases Bridge Program Rates  - Alabama Farmers Federation

Alabama farmers will start receiving critical farm aid by the end of February, thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmer Bridge Assistance Program.  These one-time payments were announced in late 2025. The program includes $11 billion for row crop farmers, promised aid that allowed hard-hit producers to meet with lenders and make plans for the next crop year. USDA is evaluating how to distribute an additional $1 billion for sp…

Guebert: More USDA money means less farm program reform

A word of caution: Do not get between reality and political forces in Congress when Republicans and Democrats agree to spend more money on farm programs rather than reform the very programs that are failing farmers and rural America. Case in point: Barely two weeks after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its per-acre payment scheme for the just weeks-old, $12-billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program, Republican ag leaders agreed to “d…