Lawmakers are getting feedback on more coronavirus-related assistance. In a roundtable discussion with local farm groups on Wednesday, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven outlined the path forward. “The way we help agriculture this time will likely look similar to what was done in the CARES Act, where we put together assistance with broad parameters, giving the USDA flexibility on implementation. It’s finishing the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and adding to it. We’re working on this now and I anticipate by the first part of August we’ll have something, but that can always change,” said Hoeven. “In an ongoing basis, we’re working directly with the USDA not only on the $19 billion currently going out in CFAP, but also how we’ll deploy the additional $14 billion available and additional funding in the next coronavirus assistance package.” Agricultural organizations gave suggestions for improvements in CFAP 2.0, including better addressing the needs of local cattle producers. “Looking at those second tier payments, the differences between payment levels caused a lot of challenges,” said Julie Ellingson, executive vice president, North Dakota Stockmen’s Association. “Fortifying those so we can capture late sales and later born calves is certainly a priority.”
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