U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Monday announced details of actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations.

President Trump directed Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with its World Trade Organization obligations.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) to provide payments to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean and wheat producers starting Sept. 4. For each commodity covered, the payment rate will be dependent upon the severity of the trade disruption and the period of adjustment to new trade patterns, based on each producer’s actual production.

Interested producers can apply after harvest is 100 percent complete and they can report their total 2018 production. Beginning Sept. 4, MFP applications will be available online. Producers will also be able to submit their MFP applications in person, by email, fax or by mail. 

In addition to the Market Facilitation Program, the Food Purchase and Distribution Program will purchase up to $1.2 billion in commodities unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation, and $200 million will be made available to develop foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products.

• More information on the Market Facilitation Program.
• Contact your local FSA office, which can be found at www.farmers.gov.
• Read the full press release.