Help is on the Way

To hold off criticism from the Freedom Caucus, House Speaker Mike Johnson was seeking a ‘clean’ bill that did not include disaster relief or the ag assistance package. After hearing from farm-state lawmakers and rural voters, Johnson reversed himself and agreed to include that support. The final farm relief package is $10 billion. In addition, USDA added $2 billion of support for specialty crop farmers in November. “They (ag leaders) understand it’s not everything but it is something to bridge that gap and allow the lenders and the creditors to help those who are preparing to plant the crops in the spring. We think we’re giving them a big boost of relief at exactly the right time, in the nick of time, frankly.”