Agricultural News
AFR/OFU President Scott Blubaugh Disappointed in MFP Disbursement
Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:15:42 CST
American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union (AFR/OFU) President Scott Blubaugh voiced his disappointment recently regarding recipients of the most recent Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments. A report published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry has confirmed significant inequities in payments.
MFP was designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to assist farmers and ranchers affected by international trade disputes. The program has compensated most commodity grain producers based on a single county rate per planted acre. Although farmers in the North, Midwest and West have experienced the greatest harm from trade disputes, 95 percent of counties receiving the highest payment rates are based in the Southeast.
"While all market assistance is appreciated, the significant disparities from county to county create winners and losers and do not address the inadequacies that are preventing American farmers and ranchers from healing from the international trade wars," said AFR/OFU Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. "We encourage Congress to become proactively engaged on this issue and assist in making our nation's agricultural producers whole again."
Additionally, a significant amount of assistance has been awarded to foreign-owned corporations through a separate commodity purchasing program. This includes a $78 million USDA purchase of pork from Brazilian-owned JBS; that is more than the USDA purchased from any single American pork producer. AFR/OFU Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union.
AFR/OFU provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma's family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state's agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR/OFU principles.
Source: AFR/OFU
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