USDA's agriculture aid program 'is a joke,' farmer says

American farm.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Department of Agriculture says it's working "at lightning speed" to help get fresh food from farms to Americans in need after the coronavirus pandemic simultaneously created a surge in demand for food banks and a plunge from farmers' normal buyers, like restaurants, Politico reports. But many in the produce business don't think a recent $19 billion direct aid package and purchasing program is enough for the industry.

To put the farm crisis into context, the United States Fresh Produce Associate estimates its members are losing out on $1 billion per week, and the department so far hasn't been able to keep pace. "We are super frustrated that they're not being aggressive enough," said Dennis Nuxoll, a lobbyist for Western Growers. "It's a sound idea, but it doesn't match the magnitude of need."

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Tony DiMare, who runs a produce company called DiMare fresh, also said he appreciated the department's intentions, but he was less diplomatic than Nuxoll when sharing is thoughts on the plan itself. "This thing is a joke," he said. Read more at Politico.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.