August 18, 2020

US President Donald Trump approves aid for grains producing state Iowa after storm

United States President Donald Trump approved federal disaster relief for grains producing state Iowa, hit by a devastating storm that caused acres of damage to farmland, Reuters reported.

Kim Reynolds, Iowa Governor said she requested emergency funds for the state totaling US$4 billion.

According to the Iowa Soybean Association and citing US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, 14 million acres of Iowa farmland were affected by the storm. A total of 37.7 million acres of Midwest farmland were affected in total.

160 kph winds struck Iowa, Wisconsin, east Nebraska and some parts of Illinois.

Charles Grassley, Senator for Iowa said he had never seen so many corn flattened, adding that there is a great number of flattened grains bins.

The Iowa Soybean Association said 58,000 crop-insurance policy holders were affected by the storm, with a US$6 billion liability.

Grassley said 90% of Iowa farmland is covered by crop insurance. He said it is too early to determine if there is enough storage space for the scheduled harvest in Autumn.

US President Trump said he aims to visit Iowa.

-      Reuters