The U.S. Department of Agriculture is beginning to disburse more than $9.5 billion to growers and landowners through the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Conservation Reserve (CRP) programs, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a recent release.
ARC and PLC are providing approximately $8 billion for the 2016 harvest period, while CRP is distributing $1.6 billion for 2017, the release said.
Farmers of barley, corn, grain sorghum, lentils, oats, peanuts, dry peas, soybeans, wheat and canola stand to regain recent losses following adverse environmental conditions or events. Growers of long and medium grain rice, oilseeds and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) will also benefit, the release said.
“Many of these payments will be made to landowners and producers in rural communities that have recently been ravaged by drought, wildfires, and deadly hurricanes,” Perdue said in the release. “I am hopeful this financial assistance will help those experiencing losses with immediate cash flow needs as we head toward the end of the year.”
Additionally, the USDA plans to allocate funding to conservation efforts, specifically for water quality and wildlife, through the CRP, the release said.
“American farmers and ranchers are among our most committed conservationists,” Perdue said in the release. “We all share a responsibility to leave the land in better shape than we found it for the benefit of the next generation of farmers. This program helps landowners provide responsible stewardship on land that should be taken out of production.”
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