Bridge Payments and Specialty Crops
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. The $12 billion bridge assistance payments announced recently were good news for farmers across the country in these challenging times.
But with $11 billion of that going to row crop producers, I asked U.S. Representative, Dan Newhouse, a farmer himself, what about our specialty crop growers who feel left out? …
NEWHOUSE … “I sympathize. I have that same exact feeling. In fact, I think, due to the fact that me and several other members of Congress have raised the issue that specialty crops typically get left out of things like this. And so, the fact that we got a billion out of the twelve, while not enough, it’s sorely inadequate, it was progress to get included in the package.”
And Newhouse says he knows they understand, as he does, that producers would prefer selling their goods over direct payments from the federal government …
NEWHOUSE … “And so, market certainly, along with the agricultural labor issues, those are front and center and we’re doing all we can to make sure this administration understands the need to make some positive changes in both those areas. And they do. The good news is, they do. And we’re working hard to get some of these things done.”
USDA says farmers who qualify for the Farm Bridge Assistance Program can expect payments to be released by the end of February.
