By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) believes the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) payments that were recently announced will provide an infusion for the agricultural economy, including Georgia’s struggling cotton industry.
Taylor Sills, executive director of the GCC, talked about the impact of the FBA program.
“This Farmer Bridge Assistance program that was announced is very important to cotton producers in Georgia and across the country,” Sills said. “We’re very excited about this program. It puts $12 billion into producers’ hands. It really infuses $12 billion into a struggling agricultural economy across the state and nation to help with part of the losses that producers have faced.”
Of the $12 billion provided, up to $11 billion will be used for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, providing relief to row crop farmers who grow such crops as corn, cotton, peanuts, rice, sorghum and soybeans.
“It is a big deal, and hopefully it will come in a manner and time that will benefit producers across the state,” Sills said. “The timing of an infusion matters a great deal.”
Farmers who qualify for the FBA program can expect payments to be released by Feb. 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5 p.m. on Dec. 19.
The payments are intended, partially, to aid farmers until historic investments from the One Big Beautiful Act reach eligible producers on Oct. 1, 2026.