The National Corn Growers and 16 state-affiliated associations joined more than 140 allied national, regional, and state commodity organizations opposing changes to USDA disaster relief. The groups sent a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack relaying their concerns with the design of the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for 2022.
While the group showed appreciation for the allocation of $3.74 billion in much-needed ERP assistance, the groups expressed serious concerns with changes. The biggest change is a “progressive factor” that reduces the disaster assistance for many eligible growers based on the size of the losses. USDA also changed the method used to incorporate producer-paid insurance premiums.
“In the case of the progressive payment factor, we oppose a policy that delivers the least amount of benefit to those who have lost the most outside of the payment limits provided in the statute,” the letter says. “Support should be equitable for losses of all magnitudes.”
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.