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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The December 16, 2025 farmdoc Daily projection estimated Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) using modeled crop returns and losses. It was not an award notice or a forecast of any one farm’s actual return. USDA later published official per-acre rates: for example, $44.36 for corn and $30.88 for soybeans. For a rough eligible-acre estimate, multiply timely reported eligible acres by the applicable USDA rate, then account for program limits and your own tax circumstances. FBA applications closed April 17, 2026.
What the December 2025 projection estimated
The University of Illinois farmdoc Daily report dated December 16, 2025 estimated 2025 net returns by crop alongside estimated FBA rates. Its authors described an approach similar to their earlier ECAP analysis: the estimated FBA rate was a flat percentage of estimated net losses, applied uniformly across crops. That is a model based on assumptions and inputs, not the payment decision for a particular producer. Read the farmdoc Daily analysis.
USDA’s final method was different. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) set a flat rate for each eligible commodity and multiplied it by eligible reported acres. FSA says there was no payment factor and no production-based calculation; rates drew on 2025 reported and planted acreage, USDA Economic Research Service cost-of-production data, and the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Once the final rates were published on December 31, 2025, they replaced early projections for a basic eligible-acre estimate. FSA’s FBA program page and its rate announcement explain the final framework.
USDA’s final FBA rates
These are the FSA rates published December 31, 2025. They are per eligible acre, not per bushel or unit of production.
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| Commodity | Rate per acre |
|---|---|
| Barley | $20.51 |
| Canola | $23.57 |
| Chickpeas, large | $26.46 |
| Chickpeas, small | $33.36 |
| Corn | $44.36 |
| Cotton | $117.35 |
| Flax | $8.05 |
| Lentils | $23.98 |
| Mustard | $23.21 |
| Oats | $81.75 |
| Peanuts | $55.65 |
| Peas | $19.60 |
| Rice | $132.89 |
| Safflower | $24.86 |
| Sesame | $13.68 |
| Sorghum | $48.11 |
| Soybeans | $30.88 |
| Sunflower | $17.32 |
| Wheat | $39.35 |
Source: USDA Farm Service Agency, December 31, 2025.
How to estimate the payment for a farm
For a rough calculation, multiply eligible reported acres of each commodity by its USDA rate, then add the commodity amounts:
Eligible reported acres × USDA rate per acre = rough commodity payment
For example, 100 eligible reported corn acres at $44.36 per acre yield a rough estimate of $4,436 before applying program limits and final eligibility. Do not multiply the rate by expected yield. FSA bases payment on eligible acres, not production, and states that no payment factor applies. The result is an estimate, not a confirmation of an approved payment. FSA’s program details.
Which acres and producers qualify
FSA’s eligible-crop list includes barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, and sunflower. Eligibility depends on the crop and its reported use, not simply whether land was planted.
- Grazing, experimental, green-manure, left-standing, and cover-crop uses are among the exclusions.
- Double-crop acres can qualify; prevent-plant acreage does not.
- Timely 2025 acreage reports were due by 5 p.m. Eastern on December 19, 2025. FSA may accept a later-filed FSA-578, but acres reported late are not eligible for FBA.
- FSA lists a $155,000 payment limit per producer and an average AGI threshold of $900,000 for covered persons or entities, subject to program entity rules. Crop-insurance linkage was not required.
See the FSA program page for the full crop, use, and entity rules.
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Application status and payment timing
FSA’s enrollment period ran from February 23 through April 17, 2026, and is now closed. The program page says eligible producers with Login.gov access can check application and payment status. Do not treat the historical projection or a rate-table calculation as proof that an application was filed, approved, or paid. FSA program information and FSA’s enrollment announcement.
How to include FBA in a 2025 farm return projection
For a farm-return forecast, model the expected FBA proceeds as farm income alongside the farm’s other receipts, using the applicable official rate and the farm’s eligible acres. Keep that income estimate separate from the crop-level net-return assumptions in the farmdoc model: a modeled crop return is not the same as a farm’s actual receipts less its actual expenses.
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For tax reporting, the IRS 2025 Schedule F instructions say to enter total government agricultural program payments received on line 4a and report only the taxable amount on line 4b. Other agricultural program payments shown on Form 1099-G generally belong on line 4a. IRS Publication 225 says most government agricultural program payments are included in income and reported on the appropriate Schedule F line, while noting limited exceptions. The instructions do not establish one taxable amount, recognition year, or total tax bill for every FBA recipient; those depend on individual facts and accounting circumstances. See the 2025 Schedule F instructions and IRS Publication 225.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Estimated taxes and income averaging
Farmers may have special estimated-tax timing rules, but the applicable deadline depends on the tax year and the taxpayer’s situation. The 2025 Schedule F instructions say farmers and fishers whose gross farming or fishing income was at least two-thirds of gross income for 2024 or 2025 may avoid a penalty if they file the 2025 return and pay the tax by March 2, 2026. Separately, the IRS issued relief for qualifying calendar-year farmers and fishers who filed and paid by April 15, 2026. For calendar-year 2026, qualifying farmers and fishers may pay estimated tax by January 15, 2027, or file and pay by March 1, 2027; ordinary shifts apply when due dates fall on weekends or holidays. These are year-specific rules, not interchangeable deadlines. Check the applicable IRS guidance: 2025 Schedule F instructions, 2025 relief notice, and IRS estimated-tax guidance.
Eligible individuals may also consider Schedule J, which allows an election to average all or part of eligible 2025 taxable farm or fishing income across the prior three years. It does not change the FBA rate or eligibility, and the effect depends on the taxpayer’s income history. IRS Schedule J instructions.
National figures are not farm-level estimates
USDA ERS’s 2026 farm-sector forecast put supplemental and ad hoc disaster assistance at $26.5 billion, $5.3 billion (24.9%) above its 2025 estimate, largely reflecting expected FBA and American Relief Act assistance. ERS forecast production expenses of $492.8 billion in 2026, compared with a 2025 estimate of $471.6 billion, a $21.2 billion (4.5%) increase. These are national sector figures, not predictions of any producer’s FBA payment or net return. USDA ERS farm income and wealth statistics.
Separately, GAO recorded a Commodity Credit Corporation estimated FBA cost of $10.998 billion, with the final amount dependent on applications submitted and approved. That cost estimate is not the same as the program’s announced allocation of up to $11 billion or the broader $12 billion bridge-payment announcement. GAO’s program-cost record.
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