Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking comments on a Department-wide effort to improve and reimagine the supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities and food products.
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The request for comments is published in the Federal Register and the comment period will close on 21 May 2021.
The comments received will help USDA assess the critical factors, risks, and strategies needed to support resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains and ensure U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and nutrition security for all Americans.
Such supply chains are needed to address conditions that can reduce critical processing and infrastructure capacity and the availability and integrity of critical goods, products, and services.
Identifying food system supply chain-bottlenecks and vulnerabilities also may provide valuable insights into the competitive and fair markets landscape, effects on local and regional producers and processors, and equitable access to food and economic opportunity across diverse communities. USDA will use the comments to prepare a report required by Executive Order 14017.
In addition to asking about the agricultural supply chain, USDA is interested in 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 seeks 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. ■
A trailing cold front in connection with a low pressure system currently moving east across the Great Lakes toward New England will bring a chance of rain into the eastern U.S. on this first day of November following an exceptionally dry October for this part of the country.