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More details on trade relief package coming soon

USDA Trade Under Secretary Ted McKinney says farmers can expect more details on the $12 billion trade relief package by the end of the month.

He tells Brownfield farmers will need to sign up for the program and compensation will be based on 2018 yield data.

“We hope and are intending to make that easy so they can go online and get the form and complete that,” he says. “A lot of it is already stored at the Farm Service Agency location . We’re going to encourage them to get that in very quickly.”

McKinney says although many farmers would prefer markets, relief from retaliatory tariffs is necessary as they continue to face a down farm economy.

“The mitigation strategy isn’t something anybody wanted, but when other countries didn’t like our desire to straighten out and fix these inadequacies that get at free, fair, and reciprocal trade, we undertook the program with a lot of support,” he says.

He says that farmers should be able to apply for the program around September 4.

McKinney spoke to media on Farmers’ Day at the Indiana State Fair.