What This Means for You
- USDA launched a new national framework tying agriculture more directly to national security and signed a formal agreement with the Department of War.
- Livestock producers will receive more than $1.89 billion in emergency relief payments for 2023 and 2024 disasters.
- Specialty crop growers can apply for $1 billion in one-time assistance, with acreage reporting due by March 13, 2026.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture this past week unveiled a new national agriculture security initiative and announced nearly $2.9 billion in disaster and market assistance for farmers and ranchers.
The actions include a new Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework, a formal partnership between USDA and the Department of War to strengthen agricultural security, $1.89 billion in livestock disaster relief payments, and a separate $1 billion assistance program for specialty crop growers.
New Farm Security Framework
USDA announced the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework, a policy initiative described as a four-part plan focused on protecting producers, preserving farmland, reducing regulations, and coordinating federal and state efforts to address what officials describe as “agricultural lawfare.”
The term agricultural lawfare was defined by USDA as the use of administrative, legal, or legislative systems to adversely impact farmers and ranchers.
The framework outlines efforts to review regulatory actions, clarify land-use protections, and formalize reporting mechanisms for complaints. USDA directed stakeholders to www.usda.gov/lawfare for more information and reporting tools.
USDA-Defense Agreement on Agricultural Security
USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also signed a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing cooperation between the two departments under the National Farm Security Action Plan.
A Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, is a formal agreement outlining how agencies will coordinate activities.
The agreement establishes collaboration between USDA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Department’s research arm, to identify agricultural security vulnerabilities and develop technology-based solutions. The partnership includes information sharing and personnel exchanges.
USDA also announced the creation of a new Office of Research, Economic, and Science Security within the Office of the Chief Scientist to coordinate research security across USDA programs.
$1.89 Billion in Livestock Disaster Relief
USDA’s Farm Service Agency issued final Emergency Livestock Relief Program payments totaling more than $1.89 billion for producers affected by drought, wildfires, and flooding in 2023 and 2024.
The American Relief Act of 2025 authorized $2 billion for these payments.
Producers who previously received drought and wildfire assistance payments — initially reduced by a 35 percent payment factor to stay within funding limits — are receiving an additional payment equal to 8.2 percent of their calculated losses. This brings total assistance for those losses to more than $1.289 billion.
For flood and wildfire losses on non-federally managed lands, USDA determined no payment reduction was necessary. Eligible producers are receiving 100 percent of their calculated payments in a single lump sum, totaling approximately $604 million.
The combined payment limit for the programs is $125,000 per year, though eligible producers may request consideration for an increased limit of $250,000 by submitting required forms by November 2, 2026.
$1 Billion for Specialty Crop Producers
USDA also announced $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program funding to support producers of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other specialty crops, as well as sugar.
The program is authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency.
Eligible producers must report their 2025 planted acreage to USDA by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on March 13, 2026. Payments will be based on reported acreage, with commodity-specific rates to be announced by the end of March.
Specialty crops include a wide range of products such as apples, almonds, blueberries, broccoli, citrus, grapes, lettuce, mushrooms, peaches, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, walnuts, and others.
USDA said crop insurance participation is not required to receive payments under this program.
More information is available at www.fsa.usda.gov/fba or through local Farm Service Agency offices.
Together, the announcements reflect a broad federal effort to link agricultural production, disaster recovery, and market stability with national security and supply chain resilience initiatives.
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