U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) praised the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week for extending the deadline for commodity programs that were created by the 2014 Farm Bill.
“It is evident USDA listened to the concerns expressed by producers at the Senate Agriculture Committee’s first hearing on the implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill,” Roberts, the committee’s chairman, said. “This step shows America’s farmers and ranchers that their government can work for them.”
On Friday, the USDA granted an additional week for agriculture producers facing decisions on updating their yield history for the purposes of reallocating base acres, and choosing to elect Price Loss Coverage or Agriculture Risk Coverage in order to comply with the Farm Bill.
“I’m glad USDA is allowing extra time for producers facing critical decisions about new, complex Farm Bill programs,” Roberts added. “As I have said before, I will work to see that the federal government is an ally, not an adversary, to America’s hard-working farmers and ranchers.”
Initially, the deadline was Feb. 27. At the request of some legislators, the USDA announced an extension to March 31. With Friday’s news, the new deadline for these submissions is April 7.