Perdue: No Tariff Relief in 2019

There are no plans for now to extend tariff aid to farmers in 2019. That announcement came from Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue during a visit to Champaign, Illinois. In July, the administration said it would deliver $12 billion in aid to farmers caught up in the trade wars with China. Farmers were able to apply for the first round of that aid last month. Perdue said, “This was put upon farmers after they had made planting decisions for 2018. The market will equilibrate over a period of time and and farmers will look at the markets and make their marketing and planting decisions the way they always do, so there is not an expected or anticipated market facilitation program for 2019.” Perdue did confirm the second round of aid payments will be coming in December.