Farmers to Families Food Box

A trade group in the fruit and vegetable industry is unhappy with the USDA’s decision to cancel the Farmers to Families Food Box Distribution Program. United Fresh said millions of Americans gained access to healthy, fresh produce throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the decision by Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack to cut the program “shortsighted.” The gr ...

On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told House lawmakers the Department of Agriculture is ending the Farmers to Families Food Box program. Representative David Valadao, a California Republican, stated, “although it wasn’t a perfect program, this program provided families with healthy, nutritious food items grown here in the U.S.,” asking ...

USDA is seeking public comments on a food purchase and distribution program that is aimed at providing additional aide to non-profits serving people in need of nutrition assistance. If implemented, the program will replace the Food Box Purchase program created in April in response to needs that emerged at the start of the pandemic ...

State agriculture officials are asking Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to provide recommend adjustments to the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Earlier this week, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture outlined recommendations to promote equity in farmers’ access to the program and remove unnecessary barriers of entry. ...

Recently Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, the USDA's Food Box Program which started during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic is currently under review. "The implementation of this program highlighted, in some cases, circumstances and situations where perhaps the level of money paid for those who were putting the boxes together was pretty significant ...

Last week, Representatives Dan Newhouse, Jimmy Panetta, Jim Costa and others led 70 colleagues writing a bipartisan letter to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue and the USDA, calling on him to spend specific funding to protect Ag workers. The letter calls on Perdue to make at least $1.5 bi ...

2021 is starting off with some bright spots for farm country, which has led to some early year optimism for the Ag economy. American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist John Newton said trade with China is certainly a highlight. “Recently released data from the U.S. Ce ...

When looking back on 2020, how is the year viewed by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service? "The Coronavirus is one of the areas that shaped a lot of the activities of the ag marketing service," said AMS Undersecretary Greg Ibach ...

Earlier this week, the USDA announced the continuation of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said USDA will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food nationwide through the fifth round of the program ...

On Friday, Washington Congresswomen Kim Schrier and Cathy McMorris Rodgers led the state delegation in sending a letter to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, expressing concerns with the continuation of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. At issue ...