Assistance program available for producers impacted by tariffs

Staff and wire report

Producers in the area have some extra local help with a national program implemented to help offset impacts of tariffs.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue detailed plans Monday to help mitigate impacts of retaliatory trade by foreign nations put in place in response to the U.S. implementing tariffs. 

Under President Donald Trump’s direction, Perdue and the USDA derived a short-term relief package for U.S. producers.

One aspect of the package, the Market Facilitation Program, will include payments to producers of corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean, and wheat to offset market damages. Starting Sept. 4, applications will be accepted by the Farm Service Agency.

Producers must have completed harvest and be able to provide 2018 production data. Initial payments will be calculated by multiplying 50 percent of production by the MFP rate for the specified commodity. If a second MFP payment period is announced, the remaining 50 percent would be subject to the rate

Eligible applicants must have an ownership interest in the commodity, be actively engaged in farming, and have an average adjusted gross income — AGI — for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 of less than $900,000. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations.

For more information about this program or for application assistance, contact Michael Peter at Bear Paw Development or a local FSA office. Bear Paw Development’s Food and Agriculture Development Center can be reached by calling 265-9226 or by e-mail at [email protected].