An analysis put out by NBC news shows that the top ten percent of recipients of the Coronavirus Food Assistance payments from the USDA received 60 percent of the total funds distributed so far. Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish says that’s a major problem as all sectors and sizes of agriculture have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
He says another problem brought out by the analysis shows the major discrepancy between what the largest and smallest producers received with the largest getting an average of $95,000 and the smallest only $300..
Wertish says it will take Congressional involvement to fix the CFAP program as it’s unlikely they’ll get any assistance from the Agriculture Secretary.
The CFAP analysis also showed that 2300 farms received more than the $250,000 limitation put in the farm bill. Wertish says the Ag Secretary lifted that limit with the CFAP program.
