The administration will make $13 billion available
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
More help is on the way for American farmers as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
President Trump’s administration is making billions of more dollars available to assist farmers during these challenging times.
“Starting next week, my administration is committing an additional, you’ve been asking for this for a long time, $13 billion in relief to help farmers recover from the (coronavirus) …,” the president said during a campaign speech in Mosinee, Wis., on Thursday.
This new round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program relief is in addition to the $19-billion program the president announced in April. Of that figure, $16 billion is direct payments to farmers.
The new assistance program “is tapping into the $14 billion in additional Commodity Credit Corporation funds that Congress agreed to prepay as part of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act,” Reuters reported, adding the USDA could release details on the program as early as Friday.
Farmers can begin applying for the program on Sept. 21. The application window will be open until Dec. 11.
This new round of relief will help farmers weather the storm that the pandemic is bringing, said Zippy Duvall, the president of the American Farm Federation.
“Farmers and ranchers saw demand for their markets disappear during the initial shockwave of the pandemic. Even though concerns over food supplies have now subsided, the economic hardships are still taking their toll on farm families across the country,” he said in a statement.
“We don’t know when this pandemic will end and we are still feeling the effects of trade imbalances and severe weather. This lifeline will keep farmers and ranchers afloat as they continue to keep America’s pantries stocked.”
President Trump mentions the aid around the 1:08:00 mark of the video.