NEWS RELEASE September 5, 2014 ARKANSAS AGRICULTURE SECRETARY APPLAUDS USDA EXTENSION Arkansas Agriculture Department • #1 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205 Phone: 501-683-4851 LITTLE ROCK –Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Butch Calhoun applauded today’s announcement that USDA will grant an extension of time for Arkansas farmers affected by the current Turner Grain situation in Brinkley, Ar. Secretary Calhoun said, “I appreciate Sec. Vilsack’s prompt and positive response to my request for an additional extension for producers with marketing authorizations to Turner Grain Merchandising. This additional 60 days, combined with the 30 days already provided, should be helpful to these affected producers. I will continue to work with Secretary Vilsack and our congressional delegation as producers work through this unfortunate situation.” Last week, Secretary Calhoun requested an additional extension of time for producers delivering their Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) grain under a CCC-681-1, Marketing Authorization, to Turner Grain. In addition, he also asked that U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) make low-interest emergency loans available to affected producers. Turner Grain of Brinkley has recently defaulted on payments and contracts to area farmers, leaving some producers faced with economic uncertainty. Reports from producers and various media outlets estimate losses as high as $50 million. XXXX Questions regarding this press release may be directed to Zachary Taylor, Director of Marketing, at 501-219-6324 or email [email protected].
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:29:34 +0000