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HYDE-SMITH PRAISES EXPEDITED USDA ASSISTANCE TO AG PRODUCERS, FUNDING THAT CAN HELP SUSTAIN HARD-HIT MISS. FARMERS
Hyde-Smith Fought for $10 Billion in Funding Bill Passed in December
WASHINGTON, D.C. – While praising President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for expediting help for American farmers, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today also encouraged Mississippi agricultural producers to apply for assistance through a $10 billion package that she fought to get passed last December.
Rollins on Tuesday, National Agriculture Day, announced the application process for distributing the $10 billion in assistance directly to agriculture producers to mitigate the financial hardships caused by high input costs and low commodity prices. The December law required the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to administer assistance to farmers not later than 90 days after the date of enactment.
“President Trump and Secretary Rollins clearly understand the very real financial challenges faced by American producers over the past two years and the fact that high input costs and low prices are likely to persist in the 2025 crop year. They deserve praise for swiftly launching this aid program to ensure that support reaches farmers as quickly as possible,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and Senate Agriculture Committee.
“I strongly encourage Mississippi producers to apply for this funding, which I worked very hard to secure to help keep them afloat to continue on in the dire absence of a new farm bill,” the Senator added. “Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that American farmers and ranchers have the stability provided by a multi-year farm bill that strengthens the farm safety net beyond the provisions of the 2018 bill.”
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer the distribution of this aid through a streamlined Emergency Commodity Assistance Program application process. The FSA will issue economic relief payments based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for 2024 crop year.
The signup period opens on March 19, 2025, when eligible producers can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap for eligibility and payment details. ECAP applications must be submitted to an applicant’s local FSA county office by Aug. 15, 2025.
In addition to the $10 billion in appropriations for row crop producers who suffered market-related losses in 2024, Congress also approved just over $20 billion in the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act to producers who suffered weather related losses in 2023 and 2024. The USDA and Federal Emergency Management Agency have certified that Mississippi experienced multiple types of natural disasters in this time period, including freezes, tornadoes, severe storms, flooding, high winds, and drought. The USDA is expected to soon detail the release of this funding.
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