WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — The American Relief Act of 2025 provided a $31 billion disaster aid package for farmers across the country and applications are open for them to get access to this support.

The legislation was passed in December 2024 and set aside $21 billion for natural disaster assistance and $10 billion in aid for farmers who experienced economic losses while growing 2024 commodities.

This legislation also extended provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill through September 2025.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s President Brent Johnson is a fifth-generation farmer in the state. He said that the 2024 crop year was difficult for Iowa farmers because they saw increasing costs for land, seeds, fertilizer and other crop protection services, equipment, and more. He also said that several weather events across the state and recent tariffs have negatively affected Iowa farmers.

“There’s a lot of things that are not in a farmer’s control. So, when those things do happen, storms, drought, too much rain, it really does affect the ability for farmers to make money. And you couple that up with some significant trade disruptions and it becomes really unstable for the farm economy,” Johnson said.

He also said that trade plays a vital role in Iowa’s economy.

“We are really dependent on exporting and selling these commodities. We out-produce the needs of Iowans ourselves. So, we have to trade. We have to sell it to others. So anytime those trade conversations end up being unsettling, it ends up making farmers nervous at the farm gate,” he said.

According to the National Corn Growers Association, two main factors have challenged the market. They include higher input costs and a growing corn supply.

A higher input cost means that production expenses have remained high despite declining corn prices. This is similar to Johnson’s point that inflation has increased expenses for farmers.

Furthermore, a growing corn supply creates more competition for Iowa farmers. More corn producers are available in the United States and outside the country, in places like Brazil.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced the relief application. It’s called the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program.

They also shared the per-acre payment rates for 21 different crops. Corn is $42.91 per acre and soybeans are $29.76 per acre.

Farmers can access the application for this relief at their local FSA office or online.

While Johnson said this relief is helpful to farmers, he is hopeful a new Farm Bill will be passed that will create more stability for farmers in the future.