The U.S. Department of Agriculture has established a second batching period for its Continuous Conservation Reserve Program while warning producers that deadlines for significant economic and conservation programs are fast approaching this month.

Agriculture officials are urging farmers and landowners to submit applications for both the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program and the General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Signup 66 by the April 17 deadline. The FBA program has already provided more than $9.4 billion in payments to row crop producers to mitigate the impact of trade market disruptions and increased production expenses. Producers with a Login.gov account who filed timely 2025 crop acreage reports can access pre-filled applications online for the FBA program.

Specialty crop producers also face a key date, with a reopened 2025 crop acreage reporting period set to close on April 24. This reporting is a prerequisite for those seeking support through the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) program, which was designed to help farmers address market disruptions, persistent inflation, and losses resulting from unfair foreign trade practices.