Farmers have received $4.8 billion in long-promised payments of $20 an acre on crops that range from corn, soybeans, and wheat to sorghum and sugar beets, said USDA data on Monday. It was the largest disbursement of coronavirus relief funds since the Biden administration took office.
The USDA has committed roughly $11 billion to farmers and ranchers this year, including the top-up payments on row crops, while remodeling its pandemic relief programs in March to “reach a broader set of producers.” Dairy farmers would see $1.3 billion in assistance through three initiatives, including $400 million to encourage them to donate their products to food charities. Some $700 million was earmarked for biofuel producers but was yet to be implemented.
Corn and soybean growers collected $2 of every $3 of the top-up payments, a total of $3.2 billion, said the USDA on its payment dashboard for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), the major channel for pandemic aid to agriculture. Wheat growers got $734 million and cotton growers got $223 million. Five states in the Midwest and Plains got 40% of the top-up money, led by Iowa with $442 million and Illinois with $419 million...MORE
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