Jess Blatchford farms in Baker County, Oregon. He enrolled in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA) in which USDA provided $11 billion to eligible row crop producers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs. Among his 2,100 acres are about 600 acres of potatoes, which are a specialty crop, and enrolled in the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program (ASCF). USDA provided $1.625 billion to specialty crop producers for the 2026 growing season as an extension of the FBA program.
In this clip: One of Jess’s wheat fields. This crop is a variety of Soft White Spring Wheat named Westbred 6430.
6/15/2026 footage by USDA/Kirsten Strough
