[ad_1]
According to a statement from the US Department of Agriculture, there will be no commercial assistance for farmers who are unable to plant a crop this season due to wet weather that has caused flooding and significant property damage .
Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, said the USDA was not legally allowed to pay producers for unplanted acreage and was exploring "legal flexibilities". Producers are encouraged to work with their crop insurance agent to file a claim.
The USDA announced last month a second aid package aimed at helping farmers affected by the trade war with China. The set of $ 16 billion is supposed to protect farmers, who are already enjoying low prices for their crops, from the total impact of China's retaliatory tariffs.
Spring began with a series of natural disasters. Some farmers, including those in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries in the Midwest and South, still have land under water. As the waters recede, many find that their soil is not healthy enough to be planted.
Another complication is that the USDA has not yet announced the payment rates for most of the aid, the $ 14.5 billion market facilitation program, so that farmers do not know how much the federal government will pay them to plant one crop over another. .
continue reading
your article
with a digital subscription.
Thank you for being a subscriber.
Sorry, your subscription does not include this content.
Please call 877-760-6006 to update your subscription.
"I urge farmers to plant for the market and plant what works best on their farm, regardless of the type of assistance programs that the USDA is able to provide," he said. said Perdue in a statement.
The USDA is planning to pay a minimum payment to the acre farmers who have made a claim for insurance coverage "preventing planting" protecting producers who can not plant a crop on a certain date or who are affected by adverse weather conditions.
"If you choose to plant a cover crop with harvest potential, because of this year's adverse weather conditions, you may qualify for a minimum of 2019 MFP assistance," said the USDA in its communicated. "You must always comply with your crop insurance requirements to remain eligible for the benefits received."
In addition to $ 16 billion, President Donald Trump signed a $ 19.1 million disaster relief bill last week. Under this legislation, the USDA can offset up to 90% of the losses caused by planting prevented in 2019, but it is "very unlikely" that farmers will benefit from this level of coverage in addition to the Crop insurance, according to the USDA.
As of Monday, 94% of corn was planted in Nebraska, compared to an average of 99% for this time of year, and farmers had planted 79% of the soybean crop, behind the average of 94%.
[ad_2]
Source link