Producers of shelled almonds and fresh sweet cherries are eligible for cash payments to offset the impact of trade war on U.S. agriculture, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The announcement on Friday was the first addition to the list of commodities earmarked for an estimated $4.7 billion in payments this fall, with another round possible this winter.
Some $25.8 million has been paid to producers since signup began on Sept. 4, reports the Washington Post. A USDA official said 7,851 applications were approved so far, out of 39,447 submitted. Payments are based on a farmer’s production in 2018 and are prorated at 50 percent of the announced payment rate. Jan. 15 is the final day to apply. The USDA told the Post that it will not reveal the names of people receiving the taxpayer-funded payments.
Some commodity groups have complained about being excluded from the program and others have said the payment rates, such as 1 cent a bushel for corn or 1 cent per pound of milk, are absurdly low compared to $1.65 a bushel for soybeans and $8 per hog. When USDA unveiled the program, it said payments would go only to producers of cotton, corn, milk, hogs, soybeans, sorghum and wheat, with a combined maximum payment to $250,000 for crops and livestock.
Along with making shelled almonds and fresh sweet cherries eligible, the USDA said hog farmers could choose a date between July 15 and Aug. 15 “that correctly reflects their actual operation” when submitting a claim for payment. Originally, swine producers were told to use their Aug. 1 count.
Besides the $4.7 billion in cash payments, the USDA said it would spend $1.4 billion to purchase and donate surplus food, and award $200 million to develop new markets overseas, for total outlays of $6.4 billion. The administration has said it would spend up to $12 billion, if needed, to shield the agriculture sector from retaliatory tariffs by China and other trading partners.