Disaster Aid for Farmers Getting Closer

This planting season has been the worst disaster on record in decades. Continued rain thru April and May on already flooded ground, made getting the crops in impossible. Now producers are doing what they can to get an extremely late planting completed.

What crop they will get, is expected to be a low yield because of late planting. Farmers confronting weather-related challenges are one step closer to receiving relief.

The United States House of Representatives Monday night (6/3) passed a disaster assistance package that will provide $3 billion to USDA to assist farmers confronting weather-related losses. The Senate passed the disaster bill on May 24, the legislation now goes to the President’s desk where it is expected he will sign it into law.

The disaster assistance covers expenses related to the losses of crops as a consequence of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms and wildfires in the 2018 and 2019 calendar year. The term “losses of crops” includes on-farm stored commodities and crops prevented from planting in 2019.

The legislation gives the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA discretion to decide where and how to spend the $3 billion. These determinations will likely be made in the coming weeks.

Source: National Corn Growers Association