US President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package to assist farmers struggling from low crop prices and trade war impacts. The biggest share, $11 billion, will go to row crop farmers under the Farmer Bridge Assistance program. Another $1 billion will support specialty crops not covered by this program. Trump made the announcement along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at the White House. "Maximising domestic farm production is a big part of how we will make America affordable again and bring down grocery prices," Trump said. The agriculture sector has been disrupted by trade disputes in Trump’s second term, especially with China, the largest buyer of US crops like soybeans and sorghum. The payments aim to help farmers market this year’s harvest and plan for the next. Rollins said the $1 billion set aside for specialty crops will help officials assess their needs and guide future support. Trump said future aid depends on market conditions but stressed, "The farmers don't want aid. They want to have a level playing field." Farmers reacted with cautious optimism. Mark Legan, an Indiana farmer, said the aid "would help our bottom line" and support investments put on hold. Brad Smith from Illinois noted, "None of us really love it, but we're not in a position where we can be turning it down." Earlier, Trump also threatened to add a 5% tariff on Mexico, accusing it of denying US farmers their water rights under an 80-year-old treaty. He tweeted it was "very unfair to our US Farmers who deserve this much needed water." China’s purchases of US soybeans have lagged behind commitments made in a deal after Trump met President Xi Jinping, but officials remain hopeful they will meet targets by February. According to Bessent, China "actually used our soybean farmers as pawns in the trade negotiations." The new aid package aims to bridge farmers until market conditions improve. Trump's administration signed an executive order on food supply chain security and is reviewing anti-competitive practices in agriculture. This aid follows earlier packages of $22 billion in 2019 and $46 billion in 2020, the latter including COVID relief.