USDA to provide $16 billion in direct aid to farmers, spend $3 billion on agricultural products

President Trump announced Friday that the United States Department of Agriculture will offer $16 billion in direct grants to farmers and ranchers who are struggling amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the department will purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat to distribute to food banks, community organizations, and charities.

The money will come from the $2.2 trillion congressional coronavirus economic relief bill, as well as separate USDA funds, The Hill reports. The payments, which are expected to go out at the end of May, will reportedly account for 85 percent of farmers' and ranchers' losses between Jan. 1 and April 15. The plan also seeks to address disruptions in the supply chain by using commercial distributors like Cisco to package bulk products into pre-approved boxes of dairy, meat, and produce products. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he hopes those companies' employees will be able to help relieve some pressure on food banks that are short on volunteers amid high demand during the economic shutdown.

Zippy Duvall, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, and Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the CEO of the country's largest food bank operator, Feeding America, applauded the announcement. Both organizations have asked the USDA to find ways to get food directly from farmers to food bank more quickly, ABC News reports. Read more at ABC News and The Hill.

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