Hayes, Hart: Iowa farmers and tariff assistance

Dr. Dermot Hayes, Dr. Chad HartDermot Hayes, professor, and Chad Hart, associate professor, were interviewed for a Nov. 25th Des Moines Register story "Dozens of Iowa Farmers Get Less Than $25 from Trump Tariff Assistance, Data Show."

"The corn payments are a joke. Someone at USDA made a mistake" in determining the formula for assistance, said Dermot Hayes, an Iowa State University economist. Hayes said some Iowa corn growers won't even apply for assistance given the size of payments. "It costs more to do the paperwork than the check is worth," he said.

"The bulk of the payments should begin flowing soon," Hart said. "Payment depends on having the harvest done," which still isn't complete for some farmers. "These payments will help," he said, especially as farmers struggle to pay bills following the harvest.

Hart was also quoted in the following stories: