The West Texas Young Farmers held their regular meeting on Monday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. With work in the fields in high gear, there were many who were not able to make the meeting. As a result, no business could actually be conducted. But there were a couple of guys on hand with some important information for those present.
Kody Bessent, Vice President of Operations & Legislative Affairs for Plains Cotton Growers was there to give the producers a little bit of information on where the area stands, legislatively. And his report was that everything is pretty much on lockdown. “DC is mostly on lockdown. USDA is primarily working from home, so it is hard to get anything done or meet with anyone.
He did have some good news, as far as programs were concerned. “Almost everyone will qualify for assistance off the 2018 crop year.”
The CARES Act is focusing primarily on livestock, dairy and specialty crops, with the vast majority going to the livestock sector. “This group is pretty desperate right now. They need this help during this time,” stated Bessent.
He told the group, “We are being pretty strategic in how hard we push on certain things. We know we have to be forward thinking and looking ahead to what is down the road.”
Tanner Swaringen, from Lone Star State Bank was also there and talked with the producers about the PPP program. “It does apply to farming operations. It does not increase your debt, if you qualify. You definitely need to come in and talk about it, if you think it is something your operation needs at this time.”
