Farm Credit East's Podcast

In May’s Knowledge Exchange Partner, we take a look at the newly announced Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan program that’s open to ag businesses and compare this program to the Paycheck Protection Program. This article gives an overview of the difference in benefits of these two programs. The second article outlines the $19 billion dollars in COVID-19 relief from the USDA, as part of the new USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program. In this program, the Agricultural Marketing Service will partner with regional and local distributors to purchase and distribute fresh produce, dairy products and meats to food banks, community organizations and other non-profits serving Americans in need. For more information, visit FarmCreditEast.com. I’m Heather Hunt and this is Farm Credit East’s Knowledge Exchange Partner.

The Value-Added Producer Grant program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. Nathan Rudgers, Director of Business Development, gives an overview of the grant funding process and details prospective applicants should have in mind. Our second article shares a 2020 Northeast forest products industry outlook. Eric Kingsley, Vice President of Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC, discusses how the way we utilize the forest is ever changing, and the opportunities and challenges this shifting landscape presents.

In response to the tightening labor market, producers both nationally and in the Northeast have increased their participation in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program. The number of workers brought in seasonally under the H-2A program nationwide has roughly doubled over the last six years. While the increase in the Northeast has been smaller, it is still significant.