The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the middle of developing a trade assistance program for farmers. According to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, there are very few details available at the moment. “We are assuming it will contain direct payments for commodities,” says Perdue. “Certainly the President’s concept of buying commodities for humanitarian purposes may also be part of that.” The new trade package is expected to cost between $15 and 20 billion, which is the general calculation of damages to U.S. farmers from the trade dispute with China. “We’ve asked our economist at USDA to be very precise when calculating what we believe to be legally defensible trade damages done to our U.S. producers.” Perdue remains hopeful for the U.S. to reach a trade agreement with China. Listen to more.