As the Trump administration rolls out a $12 billion aid package mostly for farmers in Midwestern states hurt by rising costs, trade disputes and weak prices, California farmers are hoping they won’t get left out in the cold, again.
The USDA did set aside $1 billion of the package that could go for “specialty crops,” such as wine grapes, that California farmers grow, said Daniel Sumner, a professor of agricultural economics at UC Davis.
“This round it appears pretty clear that the funds will go mostly to the corn, soybean and wheat guys, the standard program crops,” he said.
President Donald J. Trump along with Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary, recently announced a bailout package aimed at providing broad relief to Midwestern growers farming “program crops,” including soybeans, corn, barley, wheat and cotton.
Many farmers in those regions were forced to file for bankruptcy, in part, because of rising costs and the loss of access to international markets triggered by Trump’s trade war.
In a news release, Rollins emphasized that a one-time payment, known as Farm Bridge Assistance, is designed to shore up farmer’s finances until payments from the Farm Bill hit in February. Under the farm bill, certain crops, like soybeans, receive federal help in the form of safety net protections and price support.
To qualify for the program, farmers with adjusted gross income under $900,000 must apply by Dec. 19. Approved payments of up to $155,000 per producer would be paid in February.
California’s farmers, including those in Fresno County and the rest of the San Joaquin Central Valley, also benefit from government programs, including the purchase of surplus crops, but they have not generally reaped the same amount of financial support as their midwestern counterparts.
The apparent disparity in announced aid has not gone unnoticed by California farmers, industry groups and elected officials.
“I am very concerned that the Farm Bridge Assistance Program once again shortchanges California’s specialty crop producers. Our state grows more than 400 commodities and produces half of the nation’s fruits and vegetable, yet the Trump Administration has set aside only a vague, non-guaranteed $1 billion. These essential high-nutrition crops are put on America’s table every night,” said Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, in a statement.
Costa added that as a co-chair of the bipartisan Specialty Crop Caucus he plans to push the USDA “for clarity and ensure our specialty crop growers receive their fair share of relief.”
California Sen. Adam Schiff that while the Trump administration is “finally acting to deliver much needed relief to farmers” it should have never been made necessary.
“I’ve been ringing the alarm about how damaging these tariffs are to the industry for months now. We still need details on how USDA will distribute funding to California’s farmers and specialty crop growers. I know our farmers would rather export their crops than have to rely on funding like this from the government, but now that this relief is necessary, I want to make sure that our farmers get their fair share of support,” Schiff said in a statement.
As the president of the California Farm Bureau, Shannon Douglass, said that California’s dominance as a leading agriculture producer should not be overlooked. “California fruit, vegetable, tree-nut and nursery growers face the same sharp cost increases and market instability as the rest of American agriculture. This underscores the ongoing need for federal programs that serve all American agriculture. The California Farm Bureau will continue advocating for fair and timely support for all California farmers,” Douglass said in a statement.
In 2018, during Trump’s first term as president, the U.S. waged a trade war with China that slashed exports of numerous crops including those grown primarily in the central San Joaquin Valley.
To help U.S. farmers cope, the USDA distributed over $14.5 billion in payments, but the lion’s share went to growers of soybeans, sorghum and corn. Specialty crops — a significant segment of California production — received less than 2.3% of those funds.
In 2024, rebounding crop prices and an adequate water supply helped pushed Fresno County’s agriculture industry into the number one spot in California with a record-setting production value of $9 billion in 2024. The county’s total production value rose 5.7% from 2023, putting it ahead of Tulare County at a total value of $8.3 billion and Kern County at $7.9 billion.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the state’s top 10 crops in 2024 by dollar value were: Dairy Products, Milk —$8.61 billion; Almonds — $5.66 billion; Grapes — $5.64 billion; Cattle and Calves — $4.98 billion; Lettuce — $3.67 billion; Strawberries — $3.46 billion; Pistachios — $2.05 billion; Tomatoes — $1.64 billion; Carrots — $1.57 billion; Broilers — $1.37 billion.
Grapes continue to be battered
This year, California wine grape growers have been battered by an oversupply, reduced demand and a loss of exports, Sumner said.
Angered by Trump’s tariffs, Canada, once a top market for wine, has reduced its wine imports from California by more than 80%.
“It’s kind of hard to piss off a Canadian, but somehow the U.S. has done it,” Sumner said.
Madera County grape grower Steve Schafer said that while he is not familiar with the details of the new funding program, he can attest to the financial struggles of state’s grape industry.
“The grape business is as bad as I have ever seen in my lifetime,” he said. “It is a struggle for everybody right now.”
Aside from shrinking export markets, California’s wine grape growers have been hit with a shift in drinking habits from consumers. People are drinking less, or opting for different types of adult beverages such as the cocktail-in-a-can trend.
The result is a glut of wine grapes. Schafer said wine grape growers are being told by the wineries, don’t bother harvesting, we have nowhere to store the juice.
Grape vines are also being removed throughout the state, with more expected to come out next year.
Schafer recently saw a grape harvester moving through the vineyard in what would seem like a normal harvest. But instead of dumping the grapes in a bin, they were being left in the row to decompose.
“That is a tough one,” Schafer said.
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