During the pandemic, there have been multiple chances for farmers in Wisconsin to receive funding to help keep the farm running. State Ag Secretary Randy Romanski broke it down for me as we went through the numbers from early on when the pandemic began until the present day.
He explained that the first step Governor Evers took was making $50 million available in direct payments to farmers, as well as $25 million in the Food Security Program, which connected Wisconsin-grown food with those who needed it. Additionally, he provided the state with about $3 million to help support the ethanol industry while they were struggling.
Romanski added that there recently was more funding announced as well. “He just announced a few weeks ago that he’s going to put together another program. So, the governor’s setting aside $50 million more in direct payments for farmers as a part of the next round of federal funding that has come to the state,” he said.
According to Romanski, the most critical point of funding for Wisconsin farmers was the first $50 million because the supply chain was messed up, some farmers were dumping milk, and the meat industry was all but shut down in some areas. Basically, there was a huge economic disruption and it all happened at the same time. He said that farmers needed a little bit of a life raft at that point to keep going.
He applauds the industry because even though a lot of places were shut down, the ag industry kept its wheels moving and didn’t stop. No matter what was going on, people still needed to eat, which means farmers still needed to be out there growing crops and livestock. That being said, from an economic standpoint, agriculture has started to bounce back because supply chains are improving, but not all the way yet.
“Farmers are seeing bigger prices for the things they have to buy. So their feed, equipment they might need, inputs, chemicals, fertilizers, those costs are all going up,” Romanski said. “The timeline for when they can get, if they have to get something done on their farm, they may have to wait for the materials to do it. There are backlogs on computer chips that go into tractors and equipment now that have delayed some things.” He said that when farmers need something during harvest, they need it now, so it’s a huge challenge currently.
Romanski was very honest and said he’s not sure when the supply chain will get back normal, simply because it all ties together. “The supply chain is tied to the economy and the economy is something that no individual or no agency controls. When you’re talking about agriculture and food, here we are at the World Dairy Expo, right here in Wisconsin, this is kind of the hub of the world talking about dairy genetics, dairy equipment, dairy manufacturing research. It’s all interconnected and it’s a global marketplace,” he explained. “That’s why it’s really difficult to say because we’re talking about a global marketplace and right now we’re talking about a global marketplace that’s still impacted by a global pandemic.”
To hear the full conversation with Wisconsin Ag Secretary Randy Romanski, you can check out the agriculture podcast page.
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