The agriculture industry is awaiting USDA’s publication of the final rule for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles says the rule moved to the Office of Management and Budget last week. There’s been lots of discussions on payment limits. “I would be pleasantly surprised if the USDA removes them in their entirety, but we don’t know for certain at this time. I am hopeful they will adjust payment limits upwards. It does get to a question of limited resources,” says Quarles. “If you eliminate the cap in its entirety, a few very large payments could go out, but it won’t stretch far. On the flip side, if you squash the payment limitation to a small amount, lots of people get payments, but it’s an inch deep and a mile wide.” Quarles also says the USDA is trying to meet an appropriate balance and more money is needed to help the industry. There are ongoing discussions with lawmakers on the specific needs of the potato industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
News Categories
Latest RRFN Podcasts
Subscribe to RRFN
Get a weekly digest from RRFN to stay up-to-date on all the latest news in agriculture.