USDA News - Lone Star State Edition - March 24, 2026
In This Issue:
Thanks to each of you for being a part of feeding, fueling, and clothing the world. With many of you in fields and out in the pastures, I know it is a busy time of the year, and sometimes you don’t hear the words Thank You enough. Your hard work and sacrifices do not go unnoticed and is heralded by President Trump and Secretary Rollins.
We recently celebrated the spirit of the American farmer and rancher during National Ag Week (March 15-21), this is an acknowledgement that you make a difference in the lives of people in Texas and around the world. Thank you!!!
We are dedicated to providing you with tools, assistance and resources to support your farming and ranching legacy for generations to come. This administration is devoted to supporting you every day of the year.
This edition of USDA news includes very important 2026 programs and sign-up dates of which you need to be aware. If you have any questions, make sure to contact your local FSA county office.
Secretary Rollins is committed to putting Farmers First for our food and national security. Part of this effort is the transition to a more farmer friendly online program delivery platform within USDA. If you have not done so, I encourage you to create an account on login.gov. Whether you use it for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program or for future programs, this is the first step to a fully integrated online platform.
In Texas, the President and Secretary tasked us with delivering the largest amount of assistance provided through FBA in the nation. As of this writing, we have distributed almost $750 million to producers in a few short weeks. This dedication by the Administration and your local county office to quickly administer this program is a testament to putting Farmers First!
I’m excited to see FSA’s modernization efforts continue through the Secretary’s recent announcement of “One Farmer, One File.” This initiative creates a single, streamlined record that follows the farmer – no matter where they go in the USDA system.
The Trump Administration continues to put Farmers First by streamlining our programs to ensure producers like you can spend more time in the field and less time on paperwork. The goal is to make life easier, more profitable and more rewarding for American farmers.
These program delivery upgrades will improve efficiencies for our producers and for our employees. Our county offices are the backbone for all FSA program delivery and will continue to be in the future.
Thank you again for all you do.
Sincerely,
Dan J. Hunter, FSA State Executive Director -Texas
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Spring has sprung in Texas! The days are longer, the temperatures are higher, the grass is getting greener and farmers are planting crops.
Agriculture is big in Texas. Recent information published by the Texas Department of Agriculture indicates that there are over 231,000 farms covering 125 million acres across the state. NRCS is proud to work with the farmers, ranchers, and forest stewards across the state to help them achieve their conservation goals.
Now is the perfect time to get involved with NRCS and the local soil and water conservation districts (SWCD). The SWCDs are hosting local work group meetings across the state to gather information and provide recommendations to NRCS on natural resource priorities and criteria for conservation activities and programs. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard for the future of conservation in Texas. Contact your local office for more information.
NRCS Texas is accepting applications for the Petronila Creek Watershed Nutrient Reduction Project in Nueces County. Through funding provided by the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), the Texas Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) is targeting the Petronila Creek watershed for the implementation of conservation practices to manage nutrient and sediment runoff from working lands. This watershed drains into Baffin Bay which is a prime sportfishing area. To be eligible you must own or operate agricultural lands in Nueces County, Texas, within three 12-digit HUCs in the Petronilla Creek watershed identified as being of Tier 1 concern by the Texas Coastal Waters: Nutrient Reduction Strategies Report 2019. These sub-watersheds are identified as follows:
- City of Concordia-Petronila Creek HUC #121102050605
- Gertrude Lubby Lake-Petronila Creek HUC #121102050606
- Chapman Ranch Lake-Petronila Creek HUC #121102050607
Technical and financial assistance will be provided through this voluntary program. Agricultural producers will implement conservation practices that reduce nutrient and sediment runoff. Eligible conservation practices include such practices as conservation crop rotation, reduced tillage, no till, filter strips, nutrient management, and cover crops.
For more information, contact NRCS staff at the Robstown Service Center located at 548 S. Highway 77, Suite B in Robstown or by phone at 361-387-2533, ext. 3.
NRCS has programs and services available for all agricultural operations. I encourage you to contact your local office today to find out how we can help you.
Sincerely,
Kristy Oates, NRCS State Conservationist - Texas
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened the enrollment period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, providing $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to row crop producers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs. The FBA enrollment period opened Feb. 23 and closes April 17, 2026.
These bridge payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Bridge payments are intended in part to aid farmers until historic investments from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), including reference prices which are set to increase between 10-21% for major covered commodities and will reach eligible farmers after Oct. 1, 2026.
How to Apply
Pre-filled applications will be available online to producers with a Login.gov account who timely filed their 2025 crop acreage report for eligible commodities. Producers who have a Login.gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application from fsa.usda.gov/fba. Additionally, producers can also request their pre-filled FBA application from their FSA county office.
April 17, 2026, is the deadline to submit completed FBA applications. Producers can complete FBA applications online or submit to their FSA county office.
Login.gov
Login.gov is the public’s one account for government. Producers can use one account and password for secure, private access to participating government agencies, including FSA.
To apply for FBA online, producers can start by visiting fsa.usda.gov/fba. to create their Login.gov account. Producers who have an existing Login.gov account, can work with FSA using their existing account.
With a secure Login.gov account, producers can be amongst the first to apply for FBA allowing them to view, certify, and submit their application as well as track their application and payment status.
For assistance creating a Login.gov account, visit https://login.gov/help/.
Eligibility
The following commodities are eligible for FBA: Barley, Chickpeas, Corn, Cotton, Lentils, Oats, Peanuts, Peas, Rice, Sorghum, Soybeans, Wheat, Canola, Crambe, Flax, Mustard, Rapeseed, Safflower, Sesame, and Sunflower.
All intended uses for FBA eligible commodities are eligible excluding grazing, experimental, green manure, left standing, or cover crops. Initial acres, double crop acres, and subsequently planted acres, are eligible. Prevent plant acres are not eligible.
Crop insurance linkage is not required; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided for in OBBBA to best protect against future price risk and volatility.
Payment Calculation
In December, USDA released the payment rates by commodity. FBA payment rates are based on 2025 planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production, and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate Report.
More information on FBA is available online at fsa.usda.gov/fba. Producers can also contact their local FSA county office.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the enrollment period for agricultural producers and landowners to submit offers for the General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for General CRP starting March 9, 2026, through April 17, 2026. FSA will announce dates for Grassland CRP signup in the near future.
CRP is USDA’s flagship conservation program, providing financial and technical support to agricultural producers and landowners who place unproductive or marginal cropland under contract for 10-15 years and who agree to voluntarily convert the land to beneficial vegetative cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat. The Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026, extends FSA’s authority to administer CRP through Sept. 30, 2026.
General CRP (Signup 66)
General CRP offers are submitted through a competitive bid process. After the enrollment period closes, General CRP offers are ranked and scored by FSA, using nationally established environmental benefits criteria. USDA will announce accepted offers once ranking and scoring for all offers is completed. In addition to annual rental payments, approved General CRP participants may also be eligible for cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover.
Producers and landowners interested in participating in CRP should contact their local FSA county office.
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USDA worked with the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) to design and build a free online easy-to-use Seed and Vendor finder tool to support the producers enrolling in the CRP program, along with other conservation efforts involving native plantings. CBI also partnered with the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) to address the needs of the Native Seed Network and significantly expanded the native seed customer and vendor base.
The seed and vendor finder can be found here: Seed and Vendor Finder
Customers looking for native or introduced species to plant for the conservation projects can easily find vendors across the country that carry that seed or plant using this tool. Currently, CBI has seeded the tool with 600+ wholesale seed and seedling vendors found through an online search from across the country with limited profiles, and 100+ have voluntarily completed full profiles which includes their plant catalogue. The tool is designed for easy uploading of their profile and inventory. It also provides an opportunity for vendors without a website to have an online presence and be found by customers looking for seeds.
Also check out the plant finder tool where you can find suitable plants, including pollinator friendly plants for your area and soil type. The plant finder prototype is only available for 6 states and there is potential to extend it to the entire country.
There were over 10,000 visitors to the site last year, with the current number of unique daily visitors to the tool at over 30 and growing!
All growers/vendors are encouraged to add their business profile and catalog to the tool. They can do this easily by filling out a simple form located here: https://crptool.org/contact/. Once their catalog is online, customers can match their seed/seedlings needs with what they might have available for sale and contact you. This USDA supported tool expands customer outreach to the entire U.S.
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FarmRaise, in partnership with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), launched their online, educational hub – the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub – comprised of videos, tools and interactive resources that enable USDA cooperators and agricultural producers to learn about and access major FSA programs.
ELAP Decision Tool
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) Decision Tool helps eligible producers impacted by qualifying natural disasters and other eligible causes of loss better understand program eligibility and application requirements, learn about record-keeping and supporting loss documentation requirements and track the steps needed before applying for program benefits. The document generated by the ELAP Decision Tool can be used to support the ELAP application process, but it is not a program application. Producers will need to complete and submit the ELAP Application to their local FSA county office. Upon request, applicants may be asked to provide additional supporting documentation per the program requirements.
Through use of the ELAP Decision Tool, producers can segment by loss type (honey bee, farm-raised fish and livestock). This enables easier navigation, as guided by the tool, to assistance available to meet specific disaster recovery needs. After entering the type of loss, identifying the loss condition and entering their inventory and loss information, producers are guided through a worksheet that helps identify required loss documentation — documentation (i.e., pictures, receipts, truck logs, etc.) that can be uploaded through the ELAP tool and sent directly to the producer’s local FSA county office, or producers can provide a copy of the tool-generated worksheet summary document when they visit their local FSA county office to complete and submit the required ELAP application.
LIP Decision Tool
The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) Decision Tool, also available through the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub, assists livestock producers who suffered losses from eligible adverse weather events and other causes of loss as well as cooperators who are helping disaster-impacted livestock producers navigate available federal disaster assistance programs. The LIP Decision Tool gives producers guidance on what is needed to gather and submit required loss documentation, reducing the amount of time needed to complete applications and enabling FSA county office staff to deliver much-needed assistance faster. Using the LIP Decision Tool is not an application for benefits or a determination of eligibility.
Additional FarmRaise Resources
In addition to the new ELAP Decision Tool and the LIP Decision Tool, the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub offers several, easily navigated farm loan programs how-to videos designed to introduce producers to FSA’s many farm loan programs options and guide them through the application process.
More FSA program resources and tools will continue to be added to the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub. Cooperators and agricultural producers are encouraged to visit the FarmRaise | FSA Educational Hub often to access all available educational resources.
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NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt outlines how the agency is helping producers cut through red tape to plan and implement whole-farm regenerative practices through the new Regenerative Pilot Program. The new pilot program focuses on meeting producers where they are and integrating into farm operations to create a more sustainable, efficient, and profitable system that ultimately gives producers the credit they deserve for integrating voluntary conservation efforts. Watch the video here.
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Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, compliance with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions are required. Farmers with HEL determined soils are reminded of tillage, crop residue, and rotation requirements as specified per their conservation plan. Producers are to notify the USDA Farm Service Agency prior to breaking sod, clearing land (tree removal), and of any drainage projects (tiling, ditching, etc.) to ensure compliance. Failure to update certification of compliance, with form AD-1026, triggering applicable HEL and/or wetland determinations, for any of these situations, can result in the loss of FSA farm program payments, FSA farm loans, NRCS program payments, and premium subsidy to Federal Crop Insurance administered by RMA.
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The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to help you build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, controlled atmosphere storage, floriculture, hops, malted small grains, maple sap, maple syrup, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities.
Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement, loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security, and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security.
You do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.
For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.
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Farm loan borrowers who have pledged real estate as security for their Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct or guaranteed loans are responsible for maintaining loan collateral. Borrowers must obtain prior consent or approval from FSA or the guaranteed lender for any transaction that affects real estate security. These transactions include, but are not limited to:
- Leases of any kind
- Easements of any kind
- Subordinations
- Partial releases
- Sales
Failure to meet or follow the requirements in the loan agreement, promissory note, and other security instruments could lead to nonmonetary default which could jeopardize your current and future loans.
It is critical that borrowers keep an open line of communication with their FSA loan staff or guaranteed lender when it comes to changes in their operation. For more information on borrower responsibilities, read Your FSA Farm Loan Compass.
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Farm Loan teams are already working on operating loans for spring 2026 and ask potential borrowers to submit their requests early so they can be timely processed. The farm loan team can help determine which loan programs are best for applicants.
FSA offers a wide range of low-interest loans that can meet the financial needs of any farm operation for just about any purpose. The traditional farm operating and farm ownership loans can help large and small farm operations take advantage of early purchasing discounts for spring inputs as well expenses throughout the year.
Microloans are a simplified loan program that will provide up to $50,000 for both Farm Ownership and Operating Microloans to eligible applicants. These loans, targeted for smaller and non-traditional operations, can be used for operating expenses, starting a new operation, purchasing equipment, and other needs associated with a farming operation. Loans to beginning farmers and members of underserved groups are a priority.
Other types of loans available include:
Marketing Assistance Loans allow producers to use eligible commodities as loan collateral and obtain a 9-month loan while the crop is in storage. These loans provide cash flow to the producer and allow them to market the crop when prices may be more advantageous.
Farm Storage Facility Loans can be used to build permanent structures used to store eligible commodities, for storage and handling trucks, or portable or permanent handling equipment. A variety of structures are eligible under this loan, including bunker silos, grain bins, hay storage structures, and refrigerated structures for vegetables and fruit. A producer may borrow up to $500,000 per loan.
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The Certified Mediation Program (CMP), administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), offers mediation services to agricultural producers, creditors, and other parties involved in disputes. Mediation is a voluntary process where a neutral mediator assists the parties in negotiating a mutually acceptable resolution.
CMP aims to improve communication, foster understanding, and resolve conflicts without the need for litigation. This program covers a range of issues, including farm loans, adverse decisions by USDA agencies, rural housing loans, and other agricultural disputes.
Eligible applicants include agricultural producers, creditors, and other stakeholders involved in disputes related to farm loans, USDA program decisions, rural housing loans, and other agricultural issues. Mediation is available to any party seeking to resolve conflicts through a neutral and confidential process. Producers and stakeholders are encouraged to check with their local FSA office or certified state mediation program for specific requirements, application procedures, and additional program details.
Learn more on our Certified Mediation Program webpage.
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