USDA Wants To See Disaster Money

On February 9th, Congress passed, and the President signed a spending bill, which included nearly $2.4 billion to help producers that were affected by severe disasters.

"We told our team that we want this disaster money rolled out in weeks, not months,” said Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue.  "And timeliness and cash flow are very important, and as people are preparing to plant, we want them to have some idea what those provisions are going to be," Perdue noted.

But, it's not a simply job to decide who gets how much and under what circumstances.

"The disparity between the size of the agriculture, the types of agriculture, make it very difficult to do a one-size-fits-all. So, we're looking at a gradient...so it awards in a way that makes sense."

In the Disaster Bill, Congress pretty much gave Sonny Perdue and the USDA carte blanche on how the money will be distributed.

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