5 Things to Know About the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program
Lyndi Allen
March 20, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced up to $10 billion issued directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year.
Officially, corn will have a payment rate of $42.91 per acre for the 2024 crop year.
Authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025, these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year.
The sign-up period starts now and will run through August 15, 2025. The USDA will mail pre-filled applications to farmers over the coming days. Farmers can also go online or to their local Farm Service Agency to complete the process.

By Lindsay Croke
•
June 30, 2025
When we think of Independence Day traditions, sweet corn on the cob is as iconic as fireworks and often even more central to the celebration. According to Instacart, purchases of sweet corn surge by 380% over the annual average heading into July 4th, outranking other grilling staples like baby back ribs and burgers. But corn's role in your Fourth of July celebration goes far beyond your plate. In Illinois alone, 8,300 acres of sweet corn are harvested annually, averaging 155 cwt per acre. That’s more than 128 million pounds of locally grown sweetness fueling summer cookouts across the state. And while sweet corn makes a big impression on the grill, most of Illinois’ corn crop isn’t sweet corn - it’s field corn. Less than 1% of the state’s crop is sweet corn, while the rest is used in products that are often invisible to consumers but vital to everyday life: fuel, packaging, fireworks, and even spirits.