News & Events

ECAP: Emergency Commodity Assistance Program

Big News for Farmers: USDA Launches Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for 2024 Crop Year

If you’re a farmer feeling the financial pressure from rising input costs or falling commodity prices, there’s some important news you need to know. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), providing up to $10 billion in direct payments to eligible agricultural producers for the 2024 crop year.

With production costs higher than ever and commodity markets showing continued volatility, ECAP is designed to offer targeted financial relief to help producers manage economic stress and maintain operations.

What Is ECAP?

ECAP is a one-time federal assistance program aimed at helping commodity producers offset the impact of increased input costs and reduced market prices. The program issues direct payments based on reported eligible acreage for specific commodities, not based on production volume.

Who Is Eligible?

To qualify, producers must:

Be actively engaged in farming

Have a financial interest in the input costs of eligible crops

File an FSA-578 (Report of Acreage) for planted or prevented planting acres

Submit a CCC-576 (Notice of Loss) if reporting prevented planting acreage

Meet all reporting requirements by August 15, 2025

Even if you haven’t reported your 2024 crop year acreage yet, you can still become eligible by submitting the necessary forms before the deadline.

What Crops and Acreage Are Covered?

ECAP payments apply to eligible reported acreage, including certain double-cropped combinations if approved by FSA. Prevent plant acreage is eligible at a reduced rate (50%), while acres used for grazing, experimental crops, or green manure are not eligible.

Important notes:

If multiple producers have an interest in the same acreage, the payment will go to the producer responsible for input expenses.

If a first planting fails and is followed by a second crop that is also eligible, only the initial crop may be eligible unless it qualifies under approved double cropping rules.

Use the ECAP calculator (available soon) to estimate potential payments.

How to Apply:

Pre-filled ECAP applications will be mailed to eligible producers starting March 10, 2025

Applications must be submitted by August 15, 2025

Submit in-person at your local FSA office, by fax, electronically using Box and OneSpan, or online through a secure login.gov account

One application covers all of a producer’s operations nationwide

If you don’t receive a pre-filled application, you can still apply by contacting your local FSA office or using your login.gov account.

Required Forms:

Ensure the following forms are on file with FSA for the 2024 crop year:

AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet

CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable)

CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan

CCC-943, 75% Income Certification (new requirement)

AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Certification

SF-3881, Direct Deposit Enrollment

Most producers who have participated in past FSA programs will already have these on file. If you’re unsure, contact your FSA office to confirm or to submit any missing documents.

Payment Details:

Payments are calculated by multiplying a flat per-acre payment rate by the number of eligible acres reported. Initial payments will be issued at 85% of the calculated total to ensure the program remains within budget. If additional funds remain after initial disbursements, FSA may issue a second round of payments.

Payment caps are as follows:

Up to $125,000 for producers with less than 75% of gross income from farming, ranching, or forestry

Up to $250,000 for producers with 75% or more of gross income from farming, ranching, or forestry

These caps are based on the average gross income from 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Track the Program:

FSA will publish weekly updates on ECAP participation and payment disbursements through the ECAP Dashboard, including stats by state and commodity. Updates will be posted every Monday at 2 PM EST.

Need Help Navigating ECAP?

Programs like ECAP can be complex, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. The team at AgRisk Advisors is here to help you: