Farmers and ranchers have received $545 million in the first batch of coronavirus relief payments, said the USDA on Thursday. One-third of that money went to producers in five states: Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas.
Enrollment in the program runs through Aug. 28, with a total of $16 billion available. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the money “will help this critical industry weather the current pandemic so they can continue to plant and harvest a safe, nutritious, and affordable crop for the American people.”
Illinois, No. 1 in soybeans, was the top state for aid, with $55.6 million, according to USDA data. It was followed by Kansas, tops in winter wheat, with $48.5 million; Nebraska, with $33.4 million; South Dakota, with $30.7 million; and Texas, the No. 1 cattle state, with $24.7 million.
Overall, livestock producers across the nation received $268 million, or roughly half of the payments. Row-crop farmers got $140 million, dairy farmers, $128 million, and fruit and vegetable growers, $8 million.