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Jul. 26, 2019 Agri-Pulse reports: USDA officials hope the second time is the charm. The 2018 version of the Trump administration's Market Facilitation Program was heavily tilted toward soybeans, leaving significant disparities between commodities and regions. The new version is out now, and there are still disparities, this time between counties as well as regions. The county payment rates vary from $15 an acre all the way up to $150 an acre, and there are significant variations between neighboring counties. And farmers within a county are going to get differing payments if some could get their crops planted and others couldn't. To view the payments for each county click here. Why it matters: The top Republican on the House Ag Committee, Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, said every farm group is likely to have members "that are really, really happy and folks who are generally disappointed because they didn't get higher payments." Iowa farmer Wayne Fredericks, a board member of the American Soybean Association, said he was satisfied with the package after a briefing by Bill Northey, USDA's undersecretary for farm production and conservation. The meeting "gave me confidence that they were trying to be very fair," Fredericks told Agri-Pulse. "They were trying to really identify groups that were hurt, so I'm not going to argue with that fact." By the way: House Ag Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., says he was assured by USDA officials at a committee briefing Thursday that they would release the data used to develop the county rates. New MFP spreads the benefits Specialty crops like hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts didn't get the attention that row crops did in USDA's first trade aid package, but that's changed this time round. A much wider variety of of crops is included in the USDA's second Market Facilitation Program and that represents much needed help, says California Walnut Commission Chairman Bill Carriere. "We are appreciative to receive some relief for our growers who have been suffering from suppressed pricing since tariff retaliation began," Carriere said. Producers of walnuts as well as almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans and pistachios will receive $146 per acre under the new MFP. Cranberries, ginseng, sweet cherries, and table grapes will all receive payments based on pounds of production. China now levies a 65% tariff on in-shell walnuts and a 60% tariff on walnut kernels, and that has cut U.S. exports by more than 50%. Tweet |
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