Now that the acreage certification date has passed, USDA will be working on quick release of the Market Facilitation Program payments. USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky says they needed the planted acreage to determine how to set the rates in each county, but they hope to expediate the payments.

He says they waited until after the acreage reporting date to make sure they did not distort planting decisions, but the payment calculation will be figured in each county and so it will vary.

Censky says they’ll be using more than just the 2019 acreage data to determine each county’s payment rate.

Censky says USDA is also looking at ways to legally provide a minimal payment for prevented plant acres if a farmer plants a cover crop.