Tennessee Farm Bureau recently responded to USDA’s request for comment on food system supply chains. USDA seeks to improve supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities and food products by investing more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative. Tennessee Farm Bureau has ample policy developed by our grassroots which thoroughly expresses the necessity for our input.
USDA requested comments about how to target pandemic-related stimulus relief programs and spending authorized by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) toward long term, systemic change that results in food supply chain resiliency. In particular, the request for comment sought input on:
- bolstering local and regional food systems,
- developing new market opportunities (including for value-added agriculture and products),
- creating fairer and more competitive markets,
- meeting the needs of the agricultural workforce,
- supporting and promoting consumers’ nutrition security, particularly for low-income populations,
- addressing the needs of socially disadvantaged and small to mid-sized producers, and
- advancing efforts in other ways to transform the food system.
You can read the full comments by clicking here.
