Provides Producers with Marketing Flexibilities Amid COVID-19 Uncertainties (USDA) — Agricultural producers now have more time to repay Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The loans now mature at 12 months rather than nine, and this flexibility is available for most …
UF/IFAS Extension Helps Get Food Directly From Farmers to Customers During Pandemic
(UF/IFAS) — As the novel coronavirus disrupts the usual methods to deliver food from farms to consumers, UF/IFAS Extension agents are helping connect growers with customers. Two such specialists are Sarah Bostick, an agriculture agent with UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County and Lisa Hickey, a sustainability agent with UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County. The two are now working together to encourage farmers …
Farmer Sentiment Takes a Hit in March
(NAFB) — The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer took a dive in March, dropping 47 points from the previous month to a reading of 121. This was the biggest one-month drop in the history of the index, which dates back to late 2015. Declining agricultural commodity prices and the coronavirus impact on the U.S. economy and ag sector are …
USDA Working on Aid for Livestock, Dairy, Specialty Crops
(NAFB) — Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue is working on developing aid programs for livestock, dairy, and specialty crop producers ahead of any aid to traditional commodity producers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Hagstrom Report says House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson spoke with Perdue, who told the chairman that he’s trying to develop systems to provide aid …
NCBA Commends Secretary Perdue For Swift Action In Expanding Investigation Into Cattle Markets
(NCBA) — NCBA President Marty Smith released the following statement on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue’s announcement of expanding the agency’s investigation into cattle markets: “I would like to thank President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for their quick response to NCBA’s request to expand the agency’s investigation into cattle markets. Secretary Perdue’s decision …
Pandemic Causes Some Stockyards To Suspend Sales
(ALFA) — Several Alabama stockyards suspended cattle auctions this week to protect employees and customers and help control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Scott Garrett, an owner of Mid State Stockyards, LLP in Letohatchee, said he and several stockyard owners in Alabama talked before suspending sales this week. Because stockyards are classified as essential, he said closures were made by …
NCBA Requests President Trump Expand USDA Market Investigation
(NCBA) — NCBA President Marty Smith sent a letter to President Donald Trump, requesting the government to act quickly to investigate the striking disparity between boxed beef prices and cattle prices in the futures and cash markets during the current COVID-19 crisis and following the packing plant fire in Holcomb, Kan., last August. In his letter, Smith requests President Trump to …
AFBF on CARES Act SBA Loans
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says producers are ineligible for some CARES Act Small Business Association loans, but eligible for others. AFBF Congressional Relations Director, RJ Karney, says they believe farmers can’t participate in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, but do qualify for paycheck assistance. “As of now, AFBF’s interpretation of the rule is, farmers are eligible to …
COVID 19 Response: Your Grocery and Food-Safety Questions Answered
(UF/IFAS) — It’s a battle of facts vs. myths in the rush to get information to the public about how consumers can safely shop for groceries and handle food during the coronavirus pandemic. To get the correct data, we asked three experts with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to answer common questions: Keith Schneider, a UF/IFAS …
Crop and Livestock Prices Plunge Under Weight of COVID-19 Uncertainty
(AFBF) — Updated analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation shows crop and livestock prices falling to levels that threaten the livelihoods of many U.S. farmers and ranchers. Shuttered schools, universities, restaurants, bars and cafeterias are no longer buying milk, meat, fruits, vegetables and other food, causing a downward spiral in crop and livestock prices. Nearby futures prices for nearly …