News

Perdue says details of assistance plan coming ‘very soon’

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, in an appearance on Fox Business News this morning, said the USDA hopes to release the first phase of its COVID-19 farmer assistance plan “very soon”.

Perdue said the first tranche will be in a range of 16 to 18 billion dollars.

“There will be direct payments, to our specialty crops, dairy, livestock—cattle, cow-calf, hogs—and other commodities as well that have suffered from this,” Perdue said. “It’s affected all of agriculture.”

Perdue also confirmed that USDA will buy commodities, including dairy and meat, to help combat food waste and stock food banks.