Wisconsin’s Governor is looking into using some federal COVID-19 relief funds as direct payments to farmers.
Governor Tony Evers tells Brownfield the ag industry, and the dairy industry specifically have been struggling since the outbreak began. He says he is looking at requests by eight state ag groups to use $50 million of the $1.9 billion in CARES Act discretionary funding for direct payments.
“I can’t say it’s going to be $50 million or whatever, but the bottom line is it is under consideration and I’m thinking that, today is Thursday, so early next week, we should know.”
When asked about how a direct payment program would be administered, Evers told Brownfield he would consult with the agriculture industry for suggestions on how to best do that and make sure the right people get the help.
“Everybody in the state is struggling, but I think there are some folks, and this is true in the agriculture industry, too, that there’s some folks that are hurting more than others and that’s how we should be divvying up this money.”
Evers tells Brownfield any direct payment program would prioritize ag producers if the decision is made to proceed.