GREAT FALLS, MT – As Montana farmers wait on payments from the Trump administration’s 12-billion dollar aid plan, they’re reacting with hesitant relief. Many say the so-called “bridge payments” will help, but some also argue they don’t address the larger problems farmers face. Erik Somerfeld with the Montana Farmers Union calls them a bridge to nowhere.
The Trump administration plans to announce payment rates for specific crops by the end of the month and release money by the end of February. The limit is 155-thousand dollars per person or farm.
Somerfeld attributes many challenges faced by farmers to Trump’s tariffs and consolidation in the agriculture industry. Somerfeld says the tariffs have been particularly damaging, and much of the export market has disappeared, so farmers can’t sell their crops. He adds as result, wheat prices – Montana’s main crop – are down this year. He fears the U-S has lost markets that may not return.
The Trump administration says additional help is coming through provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that are beginning to take effect, as well as trade agreements. Ben Lilliston with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy feels the trade agreements don’t hold much weight yet.
Somerfeld believes food producers will be in the exact same position next year if things don’t change, and will need another influx of cash. He adds he and other farmers would rather sell their crops than take a government bailout.
