Congress Extends PPP Application Deadline

Congress recently approved Farm Bureau-backed legislation that extends the Paycheck Protection Program application deadline by two months, from March 31 to May 31, helping more farmers and ranchers participate in the loan program, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

 

“The existing March 31 deadline does not allow enough time for newly eligible farmers and ranchers to apply, nor does it adequately account for the required eight-week waiting period between first draw approval and second draw applications,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a letter to House and Senate Small Business Committee leaders in support of the PPP Extension Act of 2021 (H.R. 1799). The measures’ sponsors – there were two bills, a House version and a Senate version – were also included in the letter.

 

The PPP is a low-interest Small Business Administration loan program that helps small businesses keep employees on their payrolls. The SBA forgives loans if employee retention criteria are met and the funds are used for eligible expenses.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.