USDA programs in works to help farmers

CAMDEN, Ind. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working to help farmers during the pandemic.

“We know the pandemic has disrupted our markets for not only soybean farmers, but livestock, dairy and other industries across the country,” said Steve Censky, USDA deputy secretary of agriculture.

Censky was a keynote speaker at the American Soybean Association's 100th anniversary celebration.

“We have been working tirelessly from USDA to try and help mitigate the impacts that COVID-19 has had on producers as we’ve seen our food industry and restaurant industry shut down,” he said.

The goal, Censky said, is to make sure farmers have the tools they need to weather the storm.

One of the tools is through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which offers $16 billion in assistance to producers. Farmers can apply for assistance until the deadline on Aug. 28.

“We have another $14 billion that Congress provided to the Commodity Credit Corporation that we’re taking a look at, to see how do we utilize that,” Censky said.

“Then, of course, Congress is working right now to see if they can pass another assistance program for the American people. Included in that package right now, on the Senate side, is around $20 billion in additional assistance for agriculture.”

On the consumer side, USDA is working to get food to those who need it.

From increases in SNAP benefits to boxes of food delivered directly to doorstops, a variety of programs are in place to help those who may be hungry.

Long term, the United States faces two major challenges tied to agriculture, Censky said: climate change and feeding a growing world.

“At the end of February, we rolled out our Ag Innovation Agenda,” he said. “We set the goal to increase U.S. agriculture productivity by 40% by 2050, while cutting the environmental footprint in half.

“How are we going to do that? One of the biggest ways is welcoming technology. It is through innovation and technology that we’re going to be able to continue to have the tools to increase per unit farmer and farm productivity, while at the same time cutting back on the environmental footprint.”

Looking forward to the next 100 years, there will be many changes in agriculture, Censky said.

“We’re going to have to welcome those new technologies, those new innovations,” he said.