Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
How much did USDA pay per commodity under the Trump tariff relief programs?
Executive summary
USDA’s Trump-era tariff relief used several programs that paid farmers by commodity or unit: the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) delivered per‑acre rates that varied by county (reported range $15–$150 per acre) and separate per‑unit rates for specialty commodities, dairy and hogs, while USDA’s purchase and seafood programs set per‑unit rates using estimated “trade damage” divided by affected supply (USDA described up to $14.5–$16 billion in direct payments for MFP and related efforts) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Detailed, commodity‑by‑commodity per‑unit dollar amounts are reported in USDA tables and methodology documents referenced in these materials but are not fully listed in the search results provided here [5] [6].
1. What the programs were and total funding
USDA’s response to retaliatory tariffs combined direct income support payments (Market Facilitation Program), commodity purchases for food distribution, and trade promotion actions; Congressional reporting summarizes about $25.7 billion across those responses and USDA press releases framed MFP support as roughly $14.5–$16 billion of that total [4] [3] [2]. The search results repeatedly cite USDA’s authorization to provide “up to $14.5 billion” (or in some USDA releases up to $16 billion across related programs) for direct payments under the administration’s tariff relief strategy [3] [7] [8].
2. How USDA calculated per‑commodity rates
USDA stated it estimated “direct trade damage” for each affected commodity — essentially the difference in expected export value with and without retaliatory tariffs — and then divided that estimated damage by the commodity’s production or affected supply to derive a per‑unit payment rate (this trade‑damage methodology is described in USDA and CRS material) [5] [6]. For non‑specialty row crops in 2019, USDA instead used a county‑level single per‑acre payment rate multiplied by a farm’s total eligible plantings (with county rates based on the assessed impact of retaliation) [1] [8].
3. Typical rate formats you’ll see (per acre / per unit / inventory‑based)
USDA used different rate formats depending on commodity class: non‑specialty crops were paid via county per‑acre rates (range reported in USDA materials: $15 to $150 per acre) [1] [8]. Specialty crops, dairy and hogs were paid on per‑unit bases tied to production history or inventory (for example, dairy per‑hundredweight rates and pork inventory‑based payments were explicitly mentioned in USDA releases and reporting) [2] [9]. Seafood relief (STRP) used average domestic landings and estimated trade damage to calculate per‑pound rates [10] [6].
4. Examples and magnitude (what’s in the available reporting)
Congressional Research Service and USDA releases describe the approach and list aggregate purchase targets (USDA announced purchases such as $559 million for pork and hundreds of millions for sweet cherries, apples, dairy purchases, etc.), and the CRS product notes USDA set purchase values using the same trade‑damage formula used for MFP rates [5]. However, the search results here do not contain a complete, single table of every per‑commodity dollar rate; instead they point to methodology documents and to county rate ranges [5] [6] [1].
5. Where to find exact per‑commodity numbers (and why numbers differ)
USDA posted county payment‑rate tables and commodity payment‑rate announcements on farmers.gov and in Federal Register notices; those tables hold the specific per‑acre and per‑unit dollar figures by commodity or county [1] [8] [6]. CRS and USDA methodology reports explain why rates vary: they are a function of estimated export losses, the choice of denominator (production, acreage, or average landings), and program design choices, so similar commodities could receive different per‑unit payments [5] [6].
6. What the reporting does not show (limits and caveats)
Available search results document the methodology, aggregate program sizes, and that county per‑acre rates ranged from $15–$150, but do not reproduce the full commodity‑by‑commodity payment table or every per‑pound/per‑cwt figure; therefore specific dollar rates for each commodity are “not found in current reporting” among these results even though USDA and Federal Register sources referenced would contain them [1] [6] [5]. Also, CRS notes USDA’s ex ante projections may have overestimated trade losses when later trade data became available, which affects interpretation of how closely payments matched actual damages [4] [5].
Conclusion: The programs used per‑acre, per‑unit and inventory‑based payment formulas derived from USDA’s “trade damage” estimates; county per‑acre MFP rates ran from $15 to $150 per acre and total direct payments under MFP were cited at about $14.5 billion (part of roughly $25.7 billion in overall USDA responses). Exact dollar amounts per commodity are available in USDA tables and Federal Register notices referenced by these sources but are not printed in the search results provided here [1] [3] [4] [6].