USDA Details Commodity Economic Assistance Program

Mar 19, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that starting on March 19 farmers can apply for the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program. Corn growers are eligible for the program with a payment rate of $42.91 per acre for the 2024 crop year.

The new program was authorized by Congress through the American Relief Act, which passed in December. The economic assistance comes as growers are facing multiple years of low crop prices paired with high input costs.

“We appreciate USDA making economic assistance a priority and available to farmers who need it most,” said Mark Mueller, Iowa Corn Growers Association Vice President and farmer from Waverly, Iowa.

The sign-up period will run through August 15, and USDA will mail pre-filled applications to producers over the coming days. Growers can also go online, beginning tomorrow or to their local Farm Service Agency to complete the process.

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Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.