Country growers slated to receive $12 million in buyouts
By Turner Walston
Published in News on January 27, 2006 1:57 PM
More than $12 million is being paid to Wayne County tobacco growers and farm owners this year as part of the Tobacco Transition Payment Program, a Farm Service Agency official said.
Wayne County land owners are receiving $8.4 million, while grower payments will total more than $3.7 million, FSA county executive Rick Tharrington said.
Slightly more than 5,800 payments are being made in 2006, the second year of the program.
Seventy contracts remain to be processed for the second round of Tobacco Transition Payment Program payments by the Farm Service Agency.
"We've basically processed everything that comes up for us to pay," Tharrington said. "As far as I know, we're done on our end."
Tharrington said the remaining contracts need corrections before they can be processed. Those include contracts that list incorrect bank information or address changes that were not made. Farm Service Agency will be contacting those contract holders to make corrections.
"They are sort of on hold. We were hoping to have maintenance software by Feb. 3 to correct them," Tharrington said.
Tharrington said contract holders who do not receive payments by Feb. 3. should contact the Farm Service Agency.