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More details coming about emergency grain storage program payments

The administrator of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency says the details about cost-share payments for the Emergency Grain Storage Facility Assistance Program will be issued in the next few weeks.

Program sign-up ended Monday and USDA is now going to offer $80 million in cost-share assistance.

“It seems like there was nearly $1 billion in applications for this so we’ve been doing a lot of work to analyze the demand,” says Zach Ducheneaux. “We were able to find more resources and our demand still far outstrips our available resources. We’re still working out the details of how to make those determinations.”

Payments for the program cover 75 or 90% of eligible expenses associated with building grain storage capacity or purchasing equipment.

South Dakota Corn Growers Association President Dave Ellens from Madison, South Dakota says he applied for the program. He says the derecho in May 2022 crushed a few of his grain bins, damaged augers and they’ve been hauling grain to town that would normally be stored at the farm.

“We appreciate USDA finding more money to help, but when we don’t have those grain bins, we lose the ability to store grain and market it when we want,” says Ellens. “Those bin companies are busy and while it probably doesn’t take long to build, getting the materials for the bins could take months.”

Producers in Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee are eligible for the emergency assistance.