U.S. farmers are set to receive the first portion of a $30 billion aid package approved by Congress to address the ongoing downturn in agricultural markets. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the initial $10 billion in assistance should begin reaching farmers within the next few weeks. Rollins emphasized that her team was working to streamline the application process to ensure funds are distributed quickly.
Farm income has faced significant challenges over the past three years, with crop prices falling while the costs for seeds, fertilizer, and equipment continue to rise. Additionally, the U.S. is losing ground in global agricultural markets and has seen record-high food imports. “The state of the agricultural economy, especially for row-crop producers, is perhaps the worst it’s been in 100 years,” Rollins said during her address at the Commodity Classic event in Denver. “The last thing we want to be is the bottleneck in getting the funds that are so desperately needed.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reviewed various programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program, and plans to release funds to all eligible participants in these programs.
In a separate press briefing, Rollins discussed her ongoing relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new Health and Human Services Secretary, who has long been an outspoken critic of pesticides and vaccines. “Perhaps I can spend a little time making sure that he understands some of the things he’s been told, or has read, may not be entirely accurate,” Rollins stated. She stressed the importance of pesticides and other agricultural inputs in maintaining the country’s ability to feed both the U.S. and the world.
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