(IARN) — U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide immediate assistance to cattle producers in Iowa and across the country through the resources passed in the Phase 3 relief package. Ernst spoke with members of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association earlier this week.
Ernst and her Democrat and Republican colleagues write: “The COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated the need for domestic food security…All farmers and ranchers are vital to our country’s ability to keep food on the table in a future pandemic or related crisis, and many producers, including young producers, are often highly leveraged and cannot fall back on years of equity in a time of crisis. As such, we urge you to quickly deliver relief to producers as we work to lessen the economic impact of this pandemic.”
Ernst and her colleagues note the importance of prioritizing assistance to cattlemen in order to help facilitate the stabilization of farm and ranch income for producers who are facing market volatility in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout.
For additional information for Iowans on COVID-19, you can visit Senator Ernst’s website, which includes resources for families and individuals, small businesses, and seniors.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
