(Photo by Bob Elbert)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations. President Donald J. Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. As announced last month, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with our World Trade Organization obligations.
“Early on, the President instructed me, as Secretary of Agriculture, to make sure our farmers did not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs. After careful analysis by our team at USDA, we have formulated our strategy to mitigate the trade damages sustained by our farmers. Our farmers work hard, and are the most productive in the world, and we aim to protect them,” said Secretary Perdue.
These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets:
- USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) to provide payments to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean, and wheat producers starting September 4, 2018. An announcement about further payments will be made in the coming months, if warranted.
- USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will administer a Food Purchase and Distribution Program to purchase up to $1.2 billion in commodities unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will distribute these commodities through nutrition assistance programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and child nutrition programs.
- Through the Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), $200 million will be made available to develop foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. The program will help U.S. agricultural exporters identify and access new markets and help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ restrictions.
“President Trump has been standing up to China and other nations, sending the clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate their unfair trade practices, which include non-tariff trade barriers and the theft of intellectual property. In short, the President has taken action to benefit all sectors of the American economy – including agriculture – in the long run,” said Secretary Perdue. “It’s important to note all of this could go away tomorrow, if China and the other nations simply correct their behavior. But in the meantime, the programs we are announcing today buys time for the President to strike long-lasting trade deals to benefit our entire economy.”
To watch a video message from Secretary Perdue regarding today’s announcement, you may view Secretary Perdue‘s Overview of Trade Mitigation Package or on the image below.
10 thoughts on “USDA announces details of assistance for farmers impacted by unjustified retaliation”
A penny per bushel of corn isn’t going to make farmers whole from the tariffs. Hope they are all happy they voted for Trump.
Farmers can start applying Sept 4th right after Labor day. Best bet would be start at 12:01 am on the computer with a few clicks and the money will be directly deposited. Although it went down from the 12 billion dollars to 4.7 billion it still free money. It seems the soybeans farmers will get the most money. One wonders how fat those checks will be now for the average farmer. There are a little over 300,000 soybeans farmers in the US. Lets say they give them 2 billion now that works out to $6666.66666667. The devils in the detail. lol
Now let’s say this is one of three payment to reach the 12 billion dollar mark. And let’s up it to 3 billion going towards the soybean farmers. That works out to be about $30,000 a year for the average soybean farmer. And there’s every indication there is going to be a record harvest then the amount will indeed go up. The biggest ones will clear $100,000. #savethefarmers lol
And who is all these soybeans feeding. Surely not the people the people of America. So in essence my tax dollars are going out to feed the people of China. Terry Branstad needs to look into this. He’s in China right now. He’ll know what to do. lol
my garden was a failure this year, wonder if I can get some of that money??
And as the Chinese have been visiting Iowa for decades they have been given carte blanche to all are trade secrets.They are very smart and know just what questions to ask. And you must tell them exactly what they want to know. Or your in hot water. No other country has this much pull within the government. They own the biggest portion of our national debt in the form of bonds. We are in the year of the dog. So, lets build that wall comrade. lol
The old cap bill joke is dead – they now have direct deposit to their accounts – fact ! – The Chinese owners of Iowa farmland now wear cowboy hats and alligator boots made in china. Coming! 4 feet long bull horns on their Winnebagos.
Politically correct corruption at its finest .
don’t need farmers we have walmart
know why farmers wear the pioneer seed caps with the rounded bill?? so they don’t knock it off while lookin in the mailbox for the federal checks