USDA Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP)

Mar 24, 2025

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. This funding aims to support growers facing multiple years of low crop prices combined with high input costs.

The economic relief payment, approved under the American Relief Act, is determined by the number of planted and prevented-planted crop acres in 2024 for eligible commodities. Corn will receive a payment rate of $42.91 per acre, while wheat will be paid at a rate of $30.69 per acre. A complete list of eligible commodities is available here.

Growers can use the payment calculator to estimate their payment amount for eligible commodities and acreage. Payments will be distributed as applications are approved, with initial payments calculated at 85% to ensure the total program payments stay within available funding. If there are remaining funds, the FSA may issue a second payment.

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Video: Stress as a Nutrient Thief - Dr. Sarah Pearce

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce, Research Animal Physiologist with USDA ARS, explains why stress can act as a nutrient thief in pigs. She discusses gastrointestinal health, barrier integrity, inflammation, feed efficiency, stress interactions, and emerging biomarkers that may help predict performance challenges before they occur. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/af/article/1...

"Stress can steal calories and nutrients because energy normally used for growth is redirected toward immune activation, gut repair, and other costly survival responses."

Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Pearce / sarah-pearce-phd-3a5881a5 earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State University and currently serves as a Research Animal Physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal physiology, nutrition, stress biology, immune function, and productivity in pigs and poultry. Learn more from Dr. Sarah Pearce on the Swine Nutrition Black Belt Podcast, available on all major platforms.