The latest figures just came out from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They said they have paid about $2.8 billion of the $16 billion in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program direct to farmer payments. There are still applications being processed, but there are already calls for more help. There are those who say this is a good start, but more is going to be needed down the road.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has asked lawmakers to consider making additional resources available to farmers during this COVID-19 pandemic. AFBF President Zippy Duvall says the first round was a big help, but farmers are not out of the woods yet.
Duvall says the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) needs to be replenished. Also, AFBF would like to see the CCC?s cap raised to align more with the times.
Duvall said that there are needs beyond COVID-19 that still need to be met. Rural broadband was just one of the topics President Duvall covered.
There have been rumblings that a second CARES Act may be considered in Congress. There are rumors that something could be coming as soon as July.
