Gillibrand says federal aid program 'unfair' to small farmers FacebookTwitterEmail Benny, a dog owned by the Phelps family, jumps over a puddle on their farm in Pembroke, N.Y., Wednesday, May 4, 2011. On soggy New York farms, tractors are sitting idle and their owners are growing anxious waiting for skies to clear in this unusually wet spring. (AP Photo/David Duprey)David Duprey WASHINGTON — Alleging that small farmers are being left behind, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., on Wednesday demanded the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture immediately fix "disparities" allowing large corporate farms to receive more coronavirus relief. “The disparities in federal farm relief are unfair to our small farmers who are facing insurmountable debt and are struggling to stay afloat due to the pandemic," Gillibrand said. “Furthermore, the CARES Act and CFAP (Coronavirus Food Assistance Program) simply did not go far enough to sustain small farms through this difficult time; they need urgent and direct loan forgiveness to continue maintaining operations, paying their workers, and keeping Americans fed."