To help agriculture deal with the market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA announced another Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, offering aid to 89 commodities and crops. Not much additional relief has been provided for biofuels or farmers depopulating livestock. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue explained to Minnesota Farm Bureau members on Thursday why the agency hasn’t included this in their relief efforts, noting the need for Congress to pass another COVID-19 relief package. “Our CCC guidelines didn’t allow us to go out there,” said Perdue. “The USDA is traditionally about the producer and we have limits to how far we can go in the overall supply chain. Congress may address some of this in another COVID-19 package, but it remains to be seen.” Regarding trade, Perdue said there’s still a way to go with Japan and the European Union. Perdue joined the Minnesota Farm Bureau for their Shop Talk series on Thursday. Watch the Shop Talk session.
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.