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USDA official pleased with reaction to ‘farm aid’ plan

A top USDA official says he’s pleased with farmer reaction to the administration’s proposed farm aid package.

“I think that farmers realize that we’ve got the right target in mind,” says Greg Ibach, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs in the USDA, “and this package will help bring cash flow and relieve surplus quantities on the market while we get to that target.”

And Ibach says he thinks most farmers support President Trump’s efforts to negotiate better trade deals.

“If we’ve gone through this pain—the process we’re going through now, where we have the tariffs in place that are affecting prices and affecting the flow of commodities and fruits and vegetables—they want to make sure we end up with a good deal and not another bad deal,” he says.

Ibach spoke with Brownfield at an animal health conference in Nebraska.

AUDIO: Greg Ibach