USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced the final “Farmers First” program improvements on July 8, 2026, under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The changes apply to eligible producers and commodity programs nationwide.

Higher reimbursement for qualifying livestock losses

Beginning Oct. 1, 2026, the Livestock Indemnity Program will reimburse qualifying livestock losses caused by predation from endangered or protected animals at 100% of market value. The previous rate was 75%.

The change could affect producers whose livestock losses are linked to animals protected under federal or other applicable conservation rules. The program update also allows eligible livestock producers to document regional price premiums when those premiums exceed the national average market price.

That provision is important because livestock values can vary by region. Under the revised documentation approach, a producer may be able to show a higher local value rather than relying only on the national average, provided the loss meets the program’s eligibility and documentation requirements.

Loan support expands for cotton and sugar producers

USDA is also increasing Marketing Assistance Loan rates. The department is expanding the loan program to additional cotton and sugar producers as part of the same set of Farmers First changes.

Marketing Assistance Loans are commodity-based support mechanisms intended to provide eligible producers with financing tied to qualifying agricultural products. Higher loan rates can change the level of support available when producers face commodity-price pressure, although producer-level benefits will depend on the applicable crop, eligibility rules and program calculations.

USDA’s announcement did not provide one nationwide dollar total for the expanded assistance. The precise loan-rate tables and individual payment amounts depend on separate USDA program notices.

Orchard and nursery assistance included

The changes also cover disaster assistance for orchardists and growers of nursery trees. Those producers can face losses from qualifying disruptions that affect perennial crops and trees, which may take longer to replace or return to production than annual crops.

The announcement places the orchard and nursery provisions alongside the livestock and commodity-loan changes rather than identifying a single payment amount for all affected producers. Eligibility, documentation and the value of a producer’s loss will determine how the assistance applies.

Broader farm-economy context

The USDA Economic Research Service forecasts average net cash farm income for farm businesses at $135,000 in 2026, 18.7% above its 2025 level in nominal terms. Farm businesses account for about half of U.S. farms but more than 90% of production value, according to the agency.

Those figures describe a forecast for farm businesses, not a guaranteed payment or result for individual producers. The Farmers First changes address specific risks, including livestock predation, orchard and nursery losses, and commodity-price pressure.

The first major effective date is Oct. 1, 2026, when the higher predation-loss reimbursement rate begins. Producers seeking assistance will need to follow the applicable USDA program notices for the detailed loan rates, eligibility requirements and documentation standards governing their commodities and losses.

The USDA Farm Service Agency issued the reminder July 27 as the deadline approached. The agency says more than $16 billion is available through the program, which is intended to address qualifying revenue, quality or production losses tied to disasters during the two calendar years.

The deadline applies nationwide. Eligibility and payment amounts are not automatic: They depend on documented losses and calculations by USDA.

Two stages cover different types of losses

Stage 1 is for producers with indemnified losses. USDA will use data from Federal Crop Insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program to determine the relevant losses for that stage.

Stage 2 addresses non-indemnified, shallow, uninsured and quality losses. The separate stages are intended to account for different categories of losses and different types of documentation.

USDA’s announcement does not say that every applicant will receive a payment, nor does it say that the full amount available will be distributed by Aug. 12. The agency also did not provide a current nationwide total of applications or payments associated with the 2026 deadline.

Program deadline was extended

The Aug. 12 deadline follows an extension announced by USDA on April 24. At that time, the agency said the deadline applied to both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the disaster program.

The April announcement also said USDA had already issued $6.7 billion in Supplemental Disaster Relief Program payments. It documented an increase in the program’s payment factor from 35% to 70%.

That earlier payment figure is a snapshot from the April announcement, not a current total for the program or a prediction of how much will ultimately be paid. The July reminder continued to describe more than $16 billion as available through the program.

Other agriculture deadlines are also approaching

The July 27 USDA announcement listed additional deadlines for producers and landowners. Applications for Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers, or ASCF, are due Aug. 7, 2026.

The announcement also set Aug. 31, 2026, as the deadline to review base allocations under the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, known as ARC/PLC.

USDA says eligible landowners may seek increases to as many as 30 million nationwide base acres through the ARC/PLC review. That figure describes the potential number of new base acres nationwide, not a guaranteed increase for any individual landowner.

What producers need to know

For producers with qualifying losses, the immediate issue is completing the appropriate application before Aug. 12. The program covers losses involving crops, trees, bushes or vines from calendar-year 2023 and 2024 disasters, but eligibility and the eventual payment amount depend on the loss information USDA uses in its calculations.

The next known date for the main disaster program is Aug. 12, when applications for both stages are due. The separate specialty-crop deadline comes earlier, on Aug. 7, while the ARC/PLC base-allocation review deadline follows on Aug. 31.

The Farm Service Agency said July 27 that applications for the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program are due Aug. 7, 2026. Applications for both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program are due Aug. 12. Eligible landowners have until Aug. 31 to review and consider ARC/PLC base-acre increases.

The deadlines apply nationwide through FSA county offices and federal programs. They affect specialty-crop producers, operations seeking disaster assistance and landowners whose future commodity-program support could be affected by a base-acre review.

Three deadlines, three types of assistance

The Aug. 7 deadline covers ASCF applications. FSA said pre-filled applications are available to producers who reported eligible 2025 specialty-crop acreage. Producers still need to determine whether they meet the program’s requirements and complete the application process by the deadline.

The Aug. 12 deadline covers both stages of SDRP. The program provides more than $16 billion in disaster-relief payments for qualifying 2023 and 2024 losses involving crops, trees, bushes and vines.

The agency’s announcement does not establish that every producer will qualify, or that every applicant will receive the same amount. Eligibility and payment amounts vary by producer, crop, loss type and program stage.

The third deadline, Aug. 31, concerns the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs. Eligible landowners may review and consider increases to ARC/PLC base acres. The opportunity is authorized by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and is the first such opportunity since 2002.

Up to 30 million new base acres can be added nationwide. The announcement describes this as a review and allocation opportunity, not a guarantee that each eligible landowner will receive an increase or that every operation will see higher payments.

Why the dates matter

For producers dealing with specialty-crop costs or losses from qualifying crop, tree, bush and vine events, missing a deadline could affect whether an application is considered under the relevant program. The timing also gives landowners a limited window to examine their ARC/PLC base-acre position.

The deadlines come as agricultural operations contend with elevated input costs and weather-related losses, the conditions identified by USDA in explaining why the assistance and program reviews matter. The packet does not provide a national estimate of how much assistance has already been claimed, nor does it say how many producers will qualify.

Because the programs address different needs, producers should not assume that applying for one program automatically establishes eligibility for another. ASCF concerns assistance for specialty-crop farmers, SDRP addresses qualifying disaster losses from 2023 and 2024, and the ARC/PLC action concerns base-acre reviews for eligible landowners.

What producers should do next

Producers with eligible 2025 specialty-crop acreage can check whether an ASCF application has been pre-filled and work with their FSA county office before Aug. 7. Operations seeking SDRP assistance should identify whether their application falls under Stage 1 or Stage 2 and meet the Aug. 12 deadline.

Eligible landowners considering an ARC/PLC base-acre increase have until Aug. 31 to complete the review. FSA county offices are the local channel identified for administering these nationwide federal programs.

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service also lists recent national agricultural inventory and acreage releases, including July 24 cattle inventory data. Those releases provide current national agricultural information, but the approved announcement does not state that the cattle inventory figures change eligibility for any of the three August deadlines.

USDA’s July 27 reminder is the latest documented step in the timeline. The next known milestones are the Aug. 7 ASCF application deadline, the Aug. 12 SDRP deadline and the Aug. 31 ARC/PLC base-allocation review deadline.

The USDA Farm Service Agency announced the opportunity Aug. 6. The review period runs from June 1 through Aug. 31, 2026, and applies to farms participating in the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs.

For producers who qualify, the decision can affect future eligibility for the programs and the way payments are calculated. The deadline is the next practical action point for affected landowners and producers.

What the USDA notice says

The FSA notice directs eligible landowners to review their farms’ base-acre information and consider whether they may qualify to request an increase under USDA farm-program provisions governing base acres.

Base-acre changes are tied in this notice to farms enrolled in ARC and PLC. The announcement does not say that every farm or applicant will receive an increase. It describes an opportunity to review and consider a request, not a guaranteed payment increase.

That distinction matters because the notice does not establish that an increase will be approved in every case. It also does not provide a national total for the number of farms or acres that could be affected.

Why the deadline matters

ARC and PLC are among the USDA programs that can provide farm-support payments under specified program conditions. The FSA announcement says a base-acre decision can affect producers’ future program eligibility and payment calculations.

That makes Aug. 31 more than an informational date for participating producers. Eligible landowners who may be affected have a limited period—June 1 through Aug. 31, 2026—to review the opportunity and determine whether to pursue a base-acre increase.

The source notice is a nationwide USDA program announcement. Its scope covers farms enrolled in ARC and PLC across the United States, rather than a state-specific change in eligibility or payments.

What is known—and what is not

The announcement identifies eligible landowners and participating producers as the people who should review the opportunity. It does not state how many landowners, farms or acres may qualify, and it does not provide a national dollar estimate.

The notice also references USDA emergency-credit assistance for producers affected by natural disasters. That reference appears alongside the base-acre announcement, but the approved information does not provide additional terms, amounts or deadlines for that assistance.

A separate USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service calendar documents scheduled national agricultural data releases during August 2026. The calendar provides timing context for agricultural reporting and farm-policy coverage, but it does not add figures about the base-acre opportunity.

Next step for affected producers

The next known step is the Aug. 31, 2026, deadline. Eligible landowners and producers participating in ARC or PLC should use the review period to consider whether a base-acre increase request applies to their farms.

The USDA notice does not say that all requests will be approved or that an increase will produce a particular payment result. Until USDA provides additional figures or case-specific decisions, the number of affected farms, the acreage involved and any national financial impact remain unspecified.

The changes implement final program improvements required under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. They affect payment eligibility, reimbursement rates and documentation requirements for farmers, ranchers, livestock operations and other producers participating in federal farm and disaster programs nationwide.

Automatic payments for some past losses

For most eligible losses from 2024 and 2025, the Farm Service Agency said producers will not need to submit a new request when the agency has sufficient loss data on file. The automatic treatment is intended to use existing agency records to make payments in cases where the relevant information is already available.

That does not mean every producer will receive an automatic payment. Eligibility and the way payments are handled vary by program and depend on the producer’s records. Producers whose information is incomplete or does not meet a program’s requirements may still need to provide documentation or take other steps.

The announcement did not include a nationwide dollar estimate for the additional payments. It also did not describe the changes as guaranteed compensation for every farm or ranch loss.

Livestock reimbursement rate rises in October

One of the clearest payment changes concerns the Livestock Indemnity Program. Beginning Oct. 1, 2026, reimbursement for livestock losses caused by predation from endangered or protected animals will rise to 100% of market value. The previous reimbursement rate was 75%.

Producers will also be allowed to document regional price premiums that are above the national average market price when establishing the value of eligible livestock losses. That change may matter in regions where local market conditions produce higher prices than the national average, although the packet does not provide a national estimate of how many producers will qualify or how much payments will increase.

The agency also removed the 15% normal-mortality deduction for certain assistance. In addition, it increased reimbursement for activities that can include pruning and removal. The announcement does not specify a single payment amount for those activities; the applicable amount depends on the program and the producer’s circumstances.

More time for some assistance

For some forms of assistance, the implementation period will be extended to 24 months, with an option for a further extension. The longer period gives eligible producers more time to complete covered activities or meet program requirements, but the extension option does not eliminate the need to follow the applicable program rules.

The changes are part of a broader set of 2026 USDA program adjustments. In a June 3, 2026, announcement, the Farm Service Agency said it was expanding payment-limitation and payment-eligibility provisions for the 2026 program year. Those provisions affect how business entities can qualify for certain USDA safety-net payments.

What producers should watch next

The July 8 announcement is the agency’s final implementation notice for the improvements described under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The next practical steps will depend on the program involved, the loss year, the records already held by the Farm Service Agency and whether additional documentation is required.

Producers with eligible 2024 or 2025 losses should verify whether their records are sufficient for automatic treatment rather than assuming payment will be made in every case. Livestock producers affected by eligible predation losses should also note the Oct. 1, 2026, start date for the higher reimbursement rate and the revised rules for documenting regional market premiums.

Announced July 8, 2026, the changes include a higher reimbursement rate for certain livestock losses caused by predation from endangered or protected animals, automatic payments for many eligible losses from 2024 and 2025, and revised assistance for some tree and vine damage.

The announcement marked the one-year anniversary of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The Farm Service Agency, or FSA, said the final improvements are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s broader implementation of the 2025 law.

Higher reimbursement for specified livestock losses

For livestock-indemnity claims involving predation by endangered or protected animals, the reimbursement rate rises to 100% of market value from 75%. The change is effective Jan. 1, 2026.

The higher rate applies to the specified protected-animal predation losses covered by the program. It does not mean that every disaster-related livestock loss qualifies for full reimbursement.

Producers also may document eligible regional price premiums that are above the national average market price when seeking assistance for qualifying livestock losses. That provision recognizes that the value of livestock can vary by region, but eligibility remains subject to the program’s rules and required documentation.

Some payments for 2024 and 2025 losses will be automatic

For many eligible losses from 2024 and 2025, FSA said it will use information already in its records to issue payments automatically. Producers will not need to take action for those payments when the agency has sufficient information to determine eligibility and the payment amount.

That process is not universal. Producers may still need to provide documentation when the information already held by FSA is insufficient, and eligibility continues to depend on program-specific requirements. The agency’s announcement did not provide a nationwide dollar total for payments under the revised programs.

For farmers and ranchers managing losses, the distinction could affect how quickly assistance reaches them and whether they need to assemble additional records. The final changes address compensation, eligibility documentation and payment timing rather than creating a blanket payment for all producers.

Changes for tree and vine losses

FSA is also changing how it handles eligible tree and vine losses. The agency is removing the 15% normal-mortality deduction, which is intended to increase reimbursement for qualifying pruning and removal costs.

The implementation period for the specified tree and vine assistance is being extended to 24 months, with a possible extension. The longer period gives the program more time to carry out the assistance, but the announcement does not establish that every tree or vine loss will qualify.

The changes are part of the final Farmers First program improvements tied to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. They cover livestock, crop and tree-and-vine assistance, with the practical effect depending on the type of loss, the producer’s eligibility and the information available to FSA.

What producers should expect next

FSA’s next step is implementation of the final program changes. Some payments for eligible 2024 and 2025 losses are expected to move automatically using existing agency information. Where that information is not enough, producers remain responsible for meeting applicable documentation requirements.

The announcement sets the 100% predation reimbursement rate’s effective date at Jan. 1, 2026, while the tree and vine assistance implementation period extends for 24 months and may be extended. It does not state a single nationwide payment deadline or total program payout.