COVID Relief
The Iowa Department of Agriculture says it euthanized roughly 1.3 million chickens after Pure Prairie Poultry said in late September it could no longer afford to buy feed for the company’s flock across 14 Iowa farms.
“We don’t need to rewrite the entire farm bill,” Rep. Thompson (R-Pa.) says. “We’re comfortable with many parts of the 2018 bill and there aren’t many tweaks, instead things we need to protect and invest in.”
This round is for those who were delinquent on a direct loan as of Sept. 2020, restricted a loan after Feb. 2020 through FSA, or those who owe more interest on a direct loan than the level of the principal.
A Senate Ag Committee hearing Thursday on the new farm bill raised a issue that is now evident: the Title 1 farm bill safety net can no longer deal with the current ag environment.
The additional payments will be equal to 15% of the producer’s previous CFAP 2 payments.
Farm Bureau hosted Secretary Vilsack at its annual convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he announced the details of ERP Phase 2 and PARP, U.S.-made fertilizer and new meat and poultry processing facility plans.
ERP Phase Two is likely to be announced by USDA in coming weeks, according to Jim Wiesemeyer. In a farm bill year, he says there might be more opportunities to capture additional profit.
The House on Friday averted a government shutdown by voting 225 to 201 in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023—the omnibus spending bill. Here’s what’s in it for ag.
Text of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package was released early Tuesday morning. The Senate will vote first and intends to pass the measure before Thursday, leaving the House no time to demand changes.
Phase 2 is targeted to those who suffered losses in 2020 and 2021 but may not have received any payments under Phase 1. With Phase 2 underway, USDA said that the signup deadline for Phase 1 ERP will now be Dec. 16.
USDA says the organizations were selected for their proven track records working with farmworkers, meatpacking workers, and grocery workers. The funds amount to $600 per person and will be dispersed in the fall.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides that eligible employees are entitled to paid sick time because of COVID-19, and employers are eligible for a tax credit to offset the expense.
USDA is increasing the amount of funding available for the Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program and expects to issue approximately $62.8 million in pandemic assistance payments to hog producers starting this week.
Transforming the U.S. food system by improving supply chains and addressing issues exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic was detailed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack during a speech at Georgetown University.
The House and Senate are on recess this week, but work is ramping back up to finalize 2021 legislation before the New Year begins.
USDA just announced their Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program to help producers who sold pigs on the spot market in 2020. Paul Neiffer goes over the details.
As of last week, USDA paid out just over $6 billion of the $16 billion in CFAP payments. One agricultural economist says without the full $16 billion, lower CFAP payments could change net farm income projections.
President Donald Trump and USDA released the long-awaited rules for direct payments under the Coronavirus Food Aid Program (CFAP) at the White House Tuesday.
The future of USDA’s CFAP is unclear with biofuels groups and pork producers are questioning when and if they’ll get paid. As USDA continues to divvy out relief funds for agriculture, reports show funds are running low.
USDA announced updates to CFAP 2, with the biggest revisions occurring for contract producers of livestock and specialty crops. The deadline is now October 12 to sign up or make modifications to existing applications.
USDA is continuing its rollout of aid to segments of the agriculture industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller has filed a personal lawsuit against the federal government claiming COVID relief plan discriminates against some white farmers and ranchers.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) said he will not support an extreme climate agenda that fails to consider that rural Americans will have to shoulder the burden of it.
“The early part of the year should look very different than the latter, but in total, economic growth is estimated to be about 4%, following a retreat of roughly 4% in 2020,” says Dan Kowalski.
The country star does a lot of good out in the world, and so can we. Sometimes it’s as simple as making a loved one some biscuits and sausage gravy.
The USDA on Tuesday announced they’ve extended the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Aid Program to September 11.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week published a checklist for agricultural employers to use to prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19.