With commodity prices and farm income in a slump, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts called on USDA to send subsidy checks to growers due on their 2014 crops. “According to law, payments to eligible producers … were to start on October 1 or as soon as practicable,” said the Kansas Republican in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The FSA (Farm Service Agency) has yet to announce or process payments to producers,” Roberts noted. Growers are counting on the payments as they budget for expenses to plant 2016 crops, said Roberts.
USDA told DTN that it will begin issuing payments this month. “Unfortunately, much of the uncertainty within these programs is caused by sequestration, which forces USDA to reduce … payments by 6.8 percent,” said USDA. “The administration continues to urge Congress to eliminate this policy, which creates uncertainty not just for farmers and ranchers but for many other American businesses and families.”