USDA will invest more than $2.1 billion in funding.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced more than $2.1 billion in funding to shore up weaknesses in the nation’s food supply system. The funding is designed to enhance competition in food processing and distribution, increase access to healthy food and expand markets for farmers.
Worker illnesses and other disruptions during the COVID pandemic caused delays and log jams in America’s food chain supply. Energy costs and the war in Ukraine are contributing to higher prices for agricultural inputs and food products. Secretary Vilsack said such vulnerabilities indicated that the U.S. food economy must be made more robust.
“In order for us to be able to deal with future disruptions, whether future pandemics or something else, we need a more resilient system,” he said. “A more resilient system is a system that has options.” He said his department will work with Congress to secure longer-term funding for new and expanded programs.
The current funding is drawn from the American Rescue Plan Act and other relief legislation and will include $500 million for food processing workforce training and supply chain infrastructure, $550 million for organic and urban agriculture projects, and $370 million to boost public access to healthy food.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Vilsack to be discerning in the implementation of decentralizing food production.
- For wisdom for USDA officials as they seek to enhance the food supply chain.
- For U.S. officials as they assess and strategize solutions to the supply chain and inflation issues.
- For America’s farmers as they deal with the shortages of fertilizer and possible crop adjustments.
Sources: Reuters, Market Watch
