Analysis of Farmer Bridge Assistance Payments in North Dakota

By Matthew Gammans

Key Insights

➩ Projected 2025 losses for the major program crops grown in North Dakota (corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and barley) total $3.1 billion, with total farm safety net covering 58% of these losses, $1.8 billion in combined support. This includes FBA payments ($0.7 billion, 22% of losses), crop insurance net indemnities ($0.4 billion, 14%), and ARC/PLC payments ($0.7 billion, 22%).

➩ Smaller crops outside the major commodity programs are also eligible for ad hoc payments. Canola is projected to receive $42.7 million, sunflower $9.7 million, dry peas $8.0 million, and lentils $4.4 million. Mustard, safflower, flaxseed, and chickpeas are also eligible, though aggregated projected payments for these crops total less than $1 million.

Producer Resources

The USDA has provided the following resources related to the FBA program. These include:

• Press release on December 8th and follow-up release of payment rates on December 31st

• FBA Fact Sheet

• FBA Payment Calculator

Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office with additional questions.

Background

Amid ongoing economic challenges in U.S. agriculture marked by low commodity prices, elevated input costs, and market volatility, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $12 billion one-time economic aid package to support farmers facing financial losses during the 2025 crop year. Of this total, $11 billion has been allocated to row crop producers through the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, while the remaining $1 billion is reserved for specialty crops and sugar assistance.

The FBA is designed as a temporary bridge of support until broader enhancements to the farm safety net under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) take effect beginning in fiscal year 2026. As such, the program aims to address near-term income shortfalls.

Under the FBA Program, USDA models economic losses for the 2025 crop year and applies a flat, nationally uniform per-acre payment rate to all planted acres of eligible commodities. Payments are based on a combination of 2025 planted acreage reported to the Farm Service Agency (FSA), USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) cost-of-production estimates, and projections from the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. Prevented planting acres are not eligible. FBA payments are capped at $155,000 per producer (for reference: about 12% of ND operations are large enough for this to pose even a theoretical constraint; after accounting for uncropped and non-FBA cropped land, as well as multiple legal entities, the share of affected farms is likely to be lower). Payments are also unavailable to individuals or entities with average adjusted gross income above $900,000. Crop insurance participation is not required.

Payments are expected to be disbursed by February 28, 2026. Eligible farmers were required to report 2025 acreage to FSA by December 19, 2025.

The objective of this analysis is to provide a summary of which crops and regions are projected to receive FBA payments and how these payments, in combination with existing farm safety net programs, offset projected 2025 economic losses for major North Dakota crops.

Farmer Bridge Assistance Payments in North Dakota

FBA payments provide substantial short-run income support to North Dakota producers in 2025. Table 1 summarizes total payments by crop, combining USDA-announced per-acre FBA rates with 2025 FSA-reported planted acreage.

Table 1: North Dakota Farmer Bridge Assistance Payments by Crop

Crop	Per-Acre Rate ($/acre)	$ Millions
Wheat	39.35	247
Corn	44.36	205
Soybeans	30.88	201
Canola	23.57	42
Oats	81.75	24
Sunflowers	17.32	9.7
Barley	20.51	8.9
Dry Peas	19.60	8.0
Lentils	23.98	4.4
Sorghum	48.11	0.16
Mustard	23.21	0.14
Safflower	24.86	0.08
Flaxseed	8.05	0.04
Chickpeas	26.46–33.36	0.02
Total		750

Note: Payments equal 2025 FSA planted acreage multiplied by USDA-announced Farmer Bridge Assistance per-acre rates. Rates vary for small and large chickpeas.

Total FBA payments in North Dakota are approximately $750 million. Wheat, corn, and soybeans account for the majority of payments, together representing over four-fifths of the statewide total. Wheat alone receives roughly $247 million, driven by both extensive acreage and a per-acre payment rate of $39.35. Corn and soybeans follow closely, with estimated payments of $205 million and $201 million, respectively. Canola and oats also receive substantial aggregate payments of $42 million and $24 million, respectively. Among ND crops, oats receives the highest per acre payment rate at $81.75 per acre.

Figure 1 shows the variation across North Dakota in total FBA payments. Panel A reports total payments in dollar terms. Panel B presents average payments per acre. In general, Western North Dakota receives a slightly higher per acre payment due to more wheat ($39.35/acre) and oat ($81.75/acre) acres relative to soybeans ($30.88/acre).

Figure 1: Farmer Bridge Assistance Payments in North Dakota, 2025

Note: Total payments are aggregated across all eligible crops using USDA-announced 2025 FBA per-acre payment rates and FSA-reported planted acreage. Average payments per acre are calculated as total FBA payments divided by total planted acres receiving payments.

Source: Calculations using data from USDA.

Payments are concentrated where acreage is extensive, even when per-acre rates are moderate, while crops with high per-acre rates but limited acreage contribute relatively little to total outlays.