IARN — Iowa agriculture leaders continue to monitor the developments in Washington, D.C. regarding additional coronavirus relief.
Last week, the U.S. Senate unveiled a COVID-19 aid package that included $20 billion in farm relief. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says proposed funds set aside for the Ag industry is welcome news.
“I appreciate the fact that first and foremost there is a desire to provide some additional support for the agriculture community,” Naig said. “We know the impacts of COVID-19 are still being felt and will be for some time. This has a long tail on it when you look at the market impact and supply chain disruptions. I think it’s absolutely fitting that congress would be looking at additional support.”
In a recent virtual forum with the Iowa Farmers Union, Senator Charles Grassley said it’s still being worked out how the relief funds would be distributed for agriculture. Naig says there are a few areas that Iowa leaders are hoping to see covered under the proposed legislation.
“Continued support for our livestock producers in particular,” Naig said. “But there were a couple of sectors that were left out, one being renewable fuels. Renewable fuels saw a dramatic reduction in demand for ethanol and biodiesel. We think that requires some assistance. There’s been good conversation about that in both the house and senate.”
“And then our egg producers,” Naig continued. “Our egg producers continue to be left out of assistance. Our liquid egg producers saw a nearly 70 percent reduction in their market price, and that has had a dramatic financial impact.”
While the senate coronavirus relief package didn’t specifically mention the biofuels industry, Senator Grassley indicated lawmakers are trying to gain interest in getting aid for ethanol.
