Perdue: No farmer wants to work for a government check

News

Perdue: No farmer wants to work for a government check

USDA’s latest estimate of 2020 farm income indicates federal payments will account for more than a third of farm income this year as the agency spends at least 37 billion dollars extra to make up for losses in the ag economy.  

During a news conference in Iowa Thursday, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said no farmer in the country wants to work for a government check.

“They’d much rather have a check coming from the scales at the elevator than coming through the mailbox,” Perdue said. “But I can tell you one thing, that President Trump is committed to not to let China, through retaliation, interfere with that. He’s not going to allow Covid to interfere with that—and that’s where these funds are coming from.”

Perdue said he is encouraged that China’s buying activity has picked up.

“They got off to a slow start, but it looks like to me that China’s trying to do what it can to fulfill those ag import obligations under phase one,” he said. “They’re got to keep their foot on the pedal all the way. We’ve got to have week-by-week good numbers, but they’ve been there the last few weeks.”

Perdue was in Iowa to survey crops damaged by the derecho wind event.

Radio Iowa contributed to this story.

.