Ag Secretary Says Government Will Extend Market Facilitation Program Deadline

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Tuesday said the government would extend the deadline for agricultural producers to apply for payments under the Market Facilitation Program offered to those losing money due to ongoing trade disputes. The original deadline was Jan. 15, but producers have been unable to apply for the program since the partial government shutdown caused the closure of USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices at the end of business on Dec. 28. “We will therefore extend the application deadline for a period of time equal to the number of business days FSA offices were closed, once the government shutdown ends. Farmers who have already applied for the program and certified their 2018 production have continued to receive payments,” Perdue said in a statement. For producers who had already certified their 2018 production, USDA paid out $2.78 billion as of late December and processed $5.2 billion of the total $9.6 billion aid allotment, according to Politico.