Members of the Southern Extension Economics Committee have developed a YouTube video and a PowerPoint presentation to help producers understand how recent legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic affects them.

According to Jordan Shockley, committee president and agricultural economist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, it was about a week ago when committee members started receiving “an overwhelming amount of calls from stakeholders about the effects of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 legislation to their operations and families.”

Shockley added that “in an effort to pool our resources together to address their questions and concerns, agricultural economists Derek Farnsworth from the University of Florida, Clemson University’s Adam Kantrovich and J.C. Hobbs from Oklahoma State University discussed labor issues, The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and the CARES Act during a Zoom meeting. The recording of the meeting is available on YouTube.”

During the presentation, agricultural economists covered the latest information regarding H2A labor and labor challenges, how the COVID-19 legislation impacts U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and initiatives, and programs they may qualify for through the legislation.

Producers can also learn about the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance and whether their operation might be eligible. Both the PowerPoint and video include links to additional resources and contacts for producers as the legislation continues to evolve.

Producers can view the video at https://youtu.be/mwWrpop_Ee4. The PowerPoint presentation is available online at https://www.clemson.edu/extension/agribusiness/files/2020/covid19/20-4-16covidsaeupdate.pdf.

—- Katie Pratt, UK College of Agriculture