National Corn Growers Disappointed With MFP Payments

The National Corn Growers Association "expressed disappointment that corn farmers impacted by trade tariffs and ongoing trade uncertainty will receive virtually no relief through the USDA's Market Facilitation Program (MFP.) Since the trade war began with China, Canada and Mexico corn farmers have seen a 44 cent per bushel drop in the price of corn. Through the MFB corn farmers received one cent per bushel.

The National Corn Growers Association 'appreciates the progress the Administration has made to advance ethanol, reach a new agreement with Mexico, Canada, and move forward on negotiations with Japan, but the benefits of these efforts will take time to materialize and farmers are hurting now."

The National Corn Growers Association thought that ethanol and dried distillers grains (DDGS) should have been included in the USDA's calculations of damages from the trade war. The National Corn Growers Association though that farmers who suffered a crop disaster this year should have been allowed to use an alternative to 2018 for their MFP payment. Remember the MFP payments were all based on bushels produced this year.

Do not misunderstand, farmers are thankful for the MFP payments that were authorized. The USDA may have had a limit as to how many dollars were available in the discretionary spending. I suspect  a Trade War aid bill for farmers would not have passed the House and Senate.