More Information on US Farmer Aid Plan Expected This Week

Contacts believe that the plan is not expected to be based on 2019 plantings and/or production because officials do not want to skew plantings. However, contacts note that to utilize the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) authority, there must be some element of injury from the current situation. That could come in various ways, including indirect impacts.

Payment rate rumors are rampant, but contacts say they are still being worked out.

By not basing payments on current production, payouts can come much sooner than the initial program for 2018 actual production, contacts note.

While a waiver of the pay cap that was in place for the first Market Facilitation Payments (MFPs) is not likely, officials are reviewing the situation and perhaps there will be changes on this facet relative to last year's program.

Implementation of the coming program is important, as sources note there was still a considerable amount of time per producer for the 2918 effort – around one hour per application and there were one million applications for aid submitted.

The coming plan will likely come in installments and could be impacted if there any announced U.S.-China trade agreement.