U.S. says farmers could get cash aid by October but will not be made whole

The program includes cash for farmers of soybeans, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy and hogs. It offers government purchases of fruits, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and milk for distribution to food banks and nutrition programs. And it promises a trade promotion program to develop new markets.

Only about $200 million will go toward the expansion of trade missions, Perdue said.

The aid plan, a response to retaliatory trade measures on U.S. farm exports, is intended only for the current crop cycle, he said. “It’s for the 2018 crop. We do not expect to do this over a period of time,” Perdue said.