Beginning today, farmers and ranchers will be able to apply for another round of the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
Up to $14 billion is available for producers who continue to face market disruptions and increased costs due to COVID-19.
North Dakota Farmers’ Union President Mark Watne said it’s timely.
"We're coming into a harvest where much of our state had some relatively good production," Watne said. "But we're selling into a marketplace that is totally below the cost of production."
Watne said with the trade war and the pandemic, farmers don't cash flow without that additional help.
"We're seeing some bad news in delinquency reports coming out of the banks and credit unions," Watne said. "Those delinquncies tend to develop into more serious problems if we can't get a price for our product."
Watne said the Farmers Union has been working hard on this.
"This is going to be some additional dollars to help with these poor prices," Watne said. He also credited the help from Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND).
Producers will be able to apply at their local Farm Service Agency county office.
