To the surprise of many, USDA’s specialty crop assistance announcement did not include sugarbeets. The only information the sugar industry has received was a February statement, saying $150 million in assistance will be provided to sugarbeet and sugar cane farmers. At the time, USDA said it would work with sugar processors to deliver assistance directly to farmer-members. On Friday, USDA said sugar would be addressed separately from the other crops receiving support from the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program.
