The Department of Agriculture recently released the Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program as an assistance to all hog farmers who have been impacted by the pandemic and sold pigs on the spot market between April 16, 2020 and Sept. 1, 2020.
"Previous pandemic assistance used flat rates across the hog industry, and this didn't take into account the various levels of harm felt by different producers," said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.
On Dec. 13, the USDA announced a new program that will support hog producers who sold hogs during the period in which the pandemic caused hog prices to be the lowest.
"We worked closely with industry partners and USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service to target assistance to hog producers who were hit the hardest during the pandemic. This is one more example of our efforts to provide new, broader and more equitable opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers," Ducheneaux said.
The Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP) is part of USDA's Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative and addresses gaps in previous assistance for hog producers.
The USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications through Feb. 25, 2022.
