Agriculture was already dealing with a challenging economy, even before the COVID-19 pandemic started. According to Bell Bank Senior Vice President Lynn Paulson, farm program payments through the Market Faciliation Program and WHIP-plus did help the balance sheet come loan renewal season. Now in 2020, there are funds allocated to agriculture through the CARES Act. “Now there are Paycheck Protection Program loans. Clearly it all helps, but there are so many hogs lined up a the trough for this money. There simply isn’t enough to go around.” The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly tough on the commodity markets. Paulson says it’s like throwing a rock in the center of a pond. “The ripples just keep going further and further out and impacting more and more people. With stay-at-home orders there is less driving, which is impacting the ethanol markets. That could potentially take out two billion bushels of corn if that happens.” Hear more in the full RRFN interview with Paulson.