Brooke Rollins, who heads the federal Department of Agriculture, announced the agency is readying federal funds for farmers.
This comes after months of the nation’s agricultural sector urging D.C. for support. Numerous federal policy changes this year led to record-high costs for things like fertilizer and equipment. Those changes also reduced the number of markets farmers could sell wheat and soybeans to.
A recent report from the American Farm Bureau Federation says bankruptcy filings among farmers are on the rise. Many Montana farmers say their margins are too slim to survive until next season without federal support.
In a cabinet meeting on Dec. 2, Sec. Rollins told President Donald Trump farmers should receive a “bridge” payment by the end of the year.
The first promises of farm aid packages emerged in late summer. Montana Farmers Union said it is anxiously awaiting specific details of the aid.
