Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1225206
6 Sugar Producer APRIL 2020 FROM THE ASGA Luther Markwart | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT We Salute You A lot of people deserve a lot of credit for the sugar industry's victories. Congress and the Trump administration came to the rescue of sugarbeet growers after disastrous 2018 and 2019 crops in various growing areas. On Feb. 28, the secretary of agriculture announced a disaster payment to the beet industry of $285 million, to be paid to growers through their respective cooperatives as part of the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) to help producers recover from losses due to hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, snowstorms, wildfires, severe drought, freeze, excess moisture and quality losses. This was essential to allow many growers to get financing for the 2020 crop and to keep many in our industry afloat. We give thanks to all those who made this disaster relief possible. First, it would not have happened without the leadership and persistence of Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota in the Senate and House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson and their dedicated staffs. While other members of Congress in affected areas were also engaged, active and supportive, Hoeven and Peterson led the charge. Growers need to reach out and thank them at every opportunity. Second, the USDA had a massive job on its hands to implement a nationwide disaster program across many commodities. The final legislative details were not finalized by Congress until right before Christmas—right when most work in Washington grinds to a halt until after New Year's. Addressing a disaster in sugarbeets was both unique and urgent. Many high-ranking officials in the USDA are farmers, and they fully understood the problem and the urgency of a response. Third, sugar cooperative executives provided mountains of data and, along with legal counsels, had numerous discussions with the USDA over several months to get the relief implemented in a timely manner so growers could get operating loans for the 2020 crop. By moving disaster funds through the cooperative to the grower, the speed of delivering funds in the most efficient and equitable way is significantly accelerated. You should thank your cooperative management and their team for the tremendous amount of time and effort