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| Farmers plan out their next planting season during the winter. (Adobe Stock photo) |
Relief money for American farmers caught up in the Trump administration's recent trade disputes is likely to arrive too late to help them plan 2026 crops. "For months, farmers have pleaded for government aid to soften the blow of trade wars and another unprofitable harvest," reports Kevin Draper of The New York Times. "Most farmers and bankers have concluded that any aid will be too little and too late to rescue the next planting season."
The post-harvest season is when most farmers take stock of their finances and partner with their bankers to plan expenditures for the following year; however, high crop yields, low commodity prices, and few sales to China have caused some farmers to forgo any 2025 sales and store beans and grain. Other farmers have sold their crops at a loss. Both groups face the prospect of having to take on debt or use their cash reserves to fund their next planting season.
Even if the Department of Agriculture and the Trump administration work with speedy precision, it could "still take months before farmers receive any checks," Draper explains. "That would be well after the crucial winter [decision] period."
Stephen Vaden, the deputy secretary of agriculture, said on the “AgriTalk” radio show last month, "We may need to have a bridge to next year, but how many lanes that bridge has is going to be determined by what the market does between now and then."
Farmers are also waiting on new Farm Bill decisions. Draper adds, "It is also unclear if Congress will pass a new farm bill, which expired in 2023 and was extended a third time as part of the legislation to reopen the government."
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