While the Senate is on their Memorial Day break, Senator Chuck Grassley kept up on his 99 County Tour. The Senator said he heard from farmers on a multitude of problems that they are concerned with. Grassley says that while he is pleased to see those direct assistance payments to farmers, he is going to keep an eye out for any abuse of the program?s payments.
Senator Grassley says that turkey and egg producers in Iowa need to be included in the assistance program. They have been kept out of it, so far, and the Senator believes that their losses from the euthanization of animals are every bit as significant as the blows to the pork producers.
Grassley says he is also planning to keep an eye on who is qualifying for assistance payments. He harkened back to his work with the Farm Bill and his efforts to make sure that payments to farmers went to actual farmworkers, not people with no ?dirt under their nails.?
Senator Grassley wants to be certain that the assistance given is proportion to the assistance needed by farmers. For example, $250,000 dollars might be more than what is needed by some farmers and not enough to cover the losses of others. He hopes that Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue will take these needs into account.
The direct assistance payments are scheduled to start going out next week. Iowa producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office to sign up for the program.
