US farmers: $12bn bailout won't end slump

Access to markets is more important

- ERIN AILWORTH ILENA PENG MICHAEL HIRTZER

US President Donald Trump, far right, discusses aid for farmers at the White House in Washington on Monday.

(AFP)

US growers say the Trump administration’s $12 billion aid package brings temporary relief but is unlikely to kickstart a lasting recovery for the American farm economy.

President Donald Trump on Monday unveiled a package to a key base of support that includes as much as $11 billion in onetime payments to crop farmers who have been hit hard by his tariff regime and low crop prices.

“This is kind of a Band-Aid — we need more markets more than we need aid,” said Missouri farmer Marty Richardson, adding that he feels like 2026 will be just as bad as this year. “We're already buying seed for next year and fertiliser, and we're behind the eight ball.”

It's a familiar sentiment across the Farm Belt, as farmers have been struggling for years with weak exports, falling crop prices and rising costs. The effects of the president's trade wars, which have squeezed demand and raised costs further, have left the sector in a state of extended uncertainty.

“I don’t think any of us are big fans of getting subsidised by the federal government,” said Jennie Schmidt, who grows corn and soybeans in Maryland.