disaster aid
Farm lenders urge disaster aid for Southeast and Midwest
Trump approves disaster aid to Iowa for flooding
Two days after he signed a disaster proclamation for Nebraska, President Trump issued a similar declaration for Iowa, making federal assistance available in both states. Another avenue for aid could open this week — the Senate may vote on a $13.5-billion disaster relief bill that might be revised to include money for flood-hit portions of the northern Plains and the western Corn Belt.
Lawmakers who got farm disaster aid voted against hurricane aid
Three lawmakers who personally received federal disaster aid packages for their farms over several years were among the handful of representatives who voted on Sept. 8 against federal relief for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, said a post by the blog Republic of Awesome. The assertion is based on publicly available farm payment data published by the Environmental Working Group in its Farm Subsidy Database.
Crawford proposes disaster savings accounts for farmers
The chairman of a House Agriculture subcommittee proposed a tax-deferred disaster savings account that farmers could tap during hard times without waiting for government assistance. Rep. Rick Crawford said the damaging rains in his home state of Arkansas last month show the merit of letting producers take disaster preparedness into their own hands.
Auditors find errors in USDA disaster relief payments
Livestock disaster aid cost more than $4 billion this year, more than expected, says Agri-Pulse, "even as auditors were finding that earlier payments under the program were rife with errors."
Beekeepers to get more than half of $40 million disaster aid
Honeybee keepers will receive more than half of $40 million earmarked for the Emergency Assistance to Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), said USDA.
Farm sector stronger than expected in a down year
Record livestock prices and bumper crops are blunting greatly a downturn in the farm economy, said the Agriculture Department in its semiannual Farm Sector Income forecast. USDA says net cash farm income, a measure of the ability to pay bills, will drop by 6 percent this year instead of the 22 percent plunge forecast in February.