LINCOLN- Heading into the year Nebraska's agricultural economy was already stumbling, then the pandemic nearly uprooted it. The sector has experienced two main blows. The first being in March when schools, hotels and restaurants shut down. The demand for food was cut in half almost overnight. The supply chains were completely disrupted with a diminished market.

The second blow was in April when reports showed surges in meatpacking plants across the nation. Meat production was down by almost 40% at one point, with some farmers even having to euthanize their livestock. Farmers could see an almost $3.7 billion loss for 2020. Some of these losses will be made up for by federal aid.

An original $19 billion aid was offered, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced another $14 billion in aid for farmers.

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