WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today joined his colleagues in the
Iowa Congressional delegation urged
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to expand eligibility
of the department’s COVID-19 relief programs to include custom cattle feeders,
a sector of Iowa’s agricultural economy operated primarily by family farmers.
Grassley
along with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Reps. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa), Randy
Feenstra (R-Iowa), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa)
highlighted the exclusion of custom cattle feeders from the Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program (CFAP).
“While we appreciate USDA’s commitment to assisting
much of the beef cattle industry, it’s been brought to our attention that USDA
did not include assistance for custom cattle feeders. Custom feeding is an
important part of Iowa's cattle industry,”
the members wrote. “In Iowa,
nearly all custom feedyards are owned and operated by farm families. Many of
these custom cattle feeders have been unable to conduct business as usual due
to the COVID-19 pandemic, with yards sitting empty or at low capacity….To
assist custom cattle feeders during this difficult time, we request that USDA
include custom cattle feeders as part of any upcoming assistance plans.”
The
members also emphasized the ability for custom cattle feeders, which have faced
similar business difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to meet the same
loss requirements that swine and poultry growers had to meet in previous rounds
of CFAP.
On January
27, USDA froze additional CFAP payments to conduct a customary review of the
program, including its payments and eligibility.
Last
year, the
two rounds of CFAP assistance provided
over $2.1 billion in assistance to Iowas farmers, growers and producers. USDA
approved over 113,000 applications from Iowa for CFAP aid.
"The Iowa Cattlemen's Association
is pleased to have a united show of support from our delegation on this
important issue," Matt Deppe, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association,
said. "One of our top
priorities, beginning in 2020 and extending on into the new year, has been
working to ensure cattle producers receive adequate assistance to recover from
the market disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the USDA and
Congress have made efforts to support all sectors agriculture, it's important
to recognize that custom cattle feeders have been left out in the cold. We
appreciate the unwavering dedication of Iowa's congressional leaders on this
front, and look forward to working with the newly-confirmed Sec. Vilsack to develop
solutions that address the challenges our producers face.”
Full
text of the letter can be found
HERE.