Government Affairs Insights on Floral

December 23, 2025

USDA Launches New Regenerative Ag Pilot Program

On December 10, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to help promote producers to adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and overall long-term productivity. This intends to build on the Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). The new Regenerative Pilot Program will be administered through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and is designed to be a streamlined, outcome-based conservation model that promotes whole-farm regenerative practices through a single application. For the first year of regenerative agriculture projects, USDA is allocating $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Interested stakeholders are encouraged to apply for FY2026 project consideration through their local NRCS Service Center and applications for EQIP and CSP can be submitted under the new single regenerative application process. For more information, you can find the official press release here.

Trump Administration Announces New $12 Billion Farmer Relief Package

On December 8, President Trump hosted a roundtable at the White House featuring various agricultural stakeholders where he and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a $12 billion farm relief package. From the total pot of money, $11 billion will obligated towards row crop producers in the form of one-time payments through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program. The remaining $1 billion will be set aside in reserves for commodities not covered under FBA, though details including timelines for those payments are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs.

Payments will be based on reported acreage, payment limits will be set at $155,000 per entity, as updated in the American Relief Act, and adjusted gross income (AGI) is strictly capped at $900,000 with no exemptions. Farmers eligible for FBA can expect payments to be released by February 28, 2026, and should be sure their 2025 acreage reporting is up to date by December 19, 2025. Crop insurance linkage is not required for FBA program eligibility. Eligible commodities for FBA include rice as well as barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, canola, crambe, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, and sunflower seed. Stakeholders are welcome to reach out to farmerbridge@usda.gov with any questions. You can find the official FBA press release here.

Senate Finance Advances USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Nominee

On November 19, the Senate Committee on Finance advanced the nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan to serve as Chief Agricultural Negotiator within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The full Committee voted 17-10, with three Democrats voting in favor, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA). Now, Callahan’s nomination will proceed to the full Senate floor where she is currently included within a nomination en bloc with a total of 97 presidential nominees. As of December 11, the Senate adopted S.Res.532 and Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) filed cloture on the bulk nomination en bloc. Looking at the week of December 15, it is expected that the Senate will take on the nomination package vote by mid-week, meaning Dr. Callahan is likely to be confirmed by the time the Senate breaks for the long holiday recess. Until she is confirmed, she will continue to serve as Assistant USTR for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy.

Government Affairs Insights on Floral

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