Combest Sell and Associates Managing Partner Tom Sell says the new Emergency Relief Program is a complete departure from previous disaster programs, restricting assistance to full time farmers and ranchers. “This progressive payment factor is the real threat and no one knows where it came from; it certainly wasn’t a good idea,” said Sell. “We see it as a backdoor pay limit, against the will of Congress.” In an interview with the Red River Farm Network, Sell said USDA has a track record of balancing the needs of all segments of agriculture, but “strange politics” are in place for this version of disaster assistance.
