A Stimulus Package for Farmers

 Nationwide, Farm Service Agency staff will immediately use $145 million provided in the Recovery Act for its Direct Operating Farm Loan Program, which will give 2,042 farmers direct loans from the agency. “In Idaho, we were able to take of that stimulus money, and we were able to help farmers from around the state, ranging from Boundary County, to Canyon County, Caribou, Jefferson County, a lot of counties across the state where we were actually able to tie into the stimulus money to help farmers to be able to stay on their farms. The State of Idaho, we’re able to fund $494,000 of that money. We are still using this money as the time goes on and we hav used a total of $1,125,000 in the State of Idaho that has already been distributed as part of the stimulus package.

That’s Aaron Johnson, Idaho’s Acting Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency who says “These loans will go to work purchasing farm equipment, feed, seed, fuel and other operating expenses. Rural communities and Idaho growers can use this help to keep their farms and ranches operating.”