American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist John Newton says more information is needed to process the impact of USDA’s Market Facilitation Program payment county rates. “We need to see the other side of this coin. All we’ve seen are the rates. We need to know the planted area for 2019. We’ll get the first Farm Service Agency crop report in mid-August. Then, we’ll get payment rates and multiply it by 2019 plantings. That may change the distribution of where the trade aid monies go. In large counties in North Dakota, a $50 payment may be more in that county than $100 in a small Alabama county.” Newton says the MFP is still providing much-needed assistance to farmers. “It’s U.S. farmers and ranchers who have been unfairly impacted by the trade war. This most recent round of aid will help growers.”
