WASHINGTON — At the end of October, the USDA announced that it intends to purchase up to $472.5 million in American-grown and American-raised agricultural commodities to distribute to the charitable food network and other nutrition assistance programs.
“America’s farmers, ranchers, and fisherman grow and harvest the safest, highest-quality food in the world, and President Trump is making sure their hard work is being rewarded,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said in a statement. “[This] $472.5 million investment moves American milk, cheese, lentils, almonds, rice, catfish and more, straight from our farms to those in need, rather than being wasted. We are committed to putting farmers first.”
Purchases made under Section 32, a permanent appropriation that Congress created decades ago to support agricultural producers, are one of the USDA’s most important tools when supporting producers during times of tight market conditions.
According to the USDA, this action:
- Helps stabilize agricultural markets. With the Section 32 authority, the USDA can direct funding to support commodity markets during periods of imbalance, helping to steady prices and assist producers when they face economic hardship or sudden disruptions. It provides timely relief and helps maintain a more stable and resilient agricultural economy.
- Reaches producers in every region. From pulse growers on the Northern Plains and in the Pacific Northwest, to tree nut, raisin, and citrus growers, to catfish farmers in the South, rice growers, pork and poultry producers, and the West Coast’s Pacific whiting fleet, these dollars flow to farm country nationwide.
- Supports rural jobs. Every purchase supports the processors, packers, haulers, and workers who move food from the farm to the table, keeping dollars circulating in rural economies.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service consistently buys a variety of American-produced and processed agricultural products. These “USDA Foods” are provided to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration nutrition assistance programs and are a vital component of the nation’s nutrition safety net, USDA noted.
AMS will purchase $472.5 million worth of American commodities, including $20 million worth of chicken.
One state senator is optimistic about the impact that this purchase will have on their state’s agricultural industry. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) expressed confidence that Mississippi producers of farm-raised catfish, poultry, and rice will benefit from this new USDA agreement, according to a statement from her team.
In addition to the $20 million for chicken, the USDA is purchasing $21 million in rice and another $20 million in farm-raised catfish.
“The infusion of more than $60 million in three of the leading commodities produced in Mississippi should really help stabilize these markets and benefit our producers,” Hyde-Smith said. “It is wonderful to work with an administration that stands behind the men and women who work hard to feed our nation. They deserve a level playing field against unfair imports that do not match the quality of what our domestic producers bring to market.”
Hyde-Smith has supported increased Section 32 purchases for a while now. During the summer, she led a letter of request to Sec. Rollins advocating for increased Section 32 purchases to bolster agriculture producers and benefit food banks and nonprofit nutrition programs, the statement noted.
The Section 32 program is funded through 30 percent of the previous year’s customs receipts, providing USDA with a permanent mechanism to support domestic producers while supplying nutritious food to families in need, the statement added.
For more information about the USDA’s Section 32 purchases, visit www.usda.gov.
