The US Department of Agriculture has announced plans for direct assistance to ag producers through the $2.2 trillion CARES Act stimulus package and other methods.
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced $16 billion in payments, nearly $10 billion directly from the CARES Act and another $6.5 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. Much of the plan for CARES Act funding has already been settled for weeks, but Lyon County Extension ag agent Brian Rees says ag producers haven’t expressed a lot of frustration or disappointment about the pace of discussions.
Starting May 26, the Farm Service Agency will accept applications from producers who have suffered losses. CARES Act funding will compensate losses from lower prices between mid-January and mid-April. It will also offer support for specialty crops that may have shipped and then spoiled after “loss of marketing channels.” The aid from the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, meanwhile, will compensate producers suffering from ongoing market issues.
Livestock, dairy, non-specialty crops, specialty crops and wool operations are all eligible. There is a payment limit of $250,000 per person or entity for all commodities combined. Producers will also have to meet the adjusted gross income limit of $900,000 unless at least 75 percent of income comes from farming, ranching or forestry activities.
Information and application forms are available at www.farmers.gov/cfap.
The USDA decision comes as the area ranching sector has been hard-hit by the pandemic in several different ways. That will be one of the main focal points of KVOE’s On-Air Chat at 10:06 am Wednesday.
