CHICAGO (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday it will dedicate at least $6 billion to expand financial assistance for farmers hurt by the pandemic, including small and socially disadvantaged producers.
Many farmers did not benefit from previous rounds of pandemic-related assistance under former President Donald Trump, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
The agency said the money will be used to develop new programs or modify existing proposals using discretionary funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act and other coronavirus aid that was unspent by the Trump administration.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Chris Reese)
