Fordyce Optimistic About Timeline For Farmer Assistance
Brownfield
The USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation says the department is on track to deliver relief payments to row crop farmers next month.
Richard Fordyce says he’s optimistic about the timeline for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. “I feel good about that. It’s a process. When we do a program, there are lot of requirements that we have to go through to be able to get it to the finish line.”
He tells Brownfield USDA continues to work through details for specialty crop growers. “Getting the data, understanding those cropping systems and the economics around those crops has taken us a little bit of time. We’re moving forward. We’re getting there and should have an announcement coming in the future, but I don’t want to pin us down on a date.”
Fordyce says if Congress authorizes more ad-hoc assistance, then the department will be able to provide the funding in a timely manner. “We’ve kind of built a framework around how we can do that. Depending on what Congress does, we would be ready to implement something if they choose to add to that or do something different.”
The proposed budget bills that Congress will have to pass by the end of the month did not contain any more aid for farmers and ranchers.