Candace Krebs
Latest COVID-19 relief includes agriculture support
Chairman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sens. Pat Roberts of Kansas and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, announced successfully leading bipartisan negotiations to increase food assistance for families and provide help to farmers and food suppliers in the final COVID-19 package announced Sunday.
The final bill includes $13 billion in food purchases and direct support for farmers and ranchers to support and build resiliency into the U.S. food supply chain, as well as a 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits and additional funding for food banks and senior nutrition programs.
The bill specifically includes $400 million for a new dairy product donation program and $60 million in grants for small meat and poultry processors. It will also provide a new round of supplemental support for row crop, specialty crop and livestock producers.