Whitmer calls on USDA for additional farmer support

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Whitmer calls on USDA for additional farmer support

Michigan’s governor is calling on USDA to reduce food insecurity and enhance the dairy supply chain.

In a recent letter to Ag Secretary Vilsack, Gretchen Whitmer says COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the food supply chain and with those struggling to secure enough food to eat.

Whitmer wants USDA to examine what she calls the SNAP benefits cliff, which makes families in the program ineligible for benefits after small increases in income, along with the Thrifty Food Plan.

Whitmer says volatile milk prices and supply chain disruptions have made it increasingly difficult for dairy farmers and she’s like to see additional compensation retroactive to the first of January this year along with streamlining the Dairy Product Donation program.

The governor also points to vertical farming as a sustainable and reliable food production method that should see funding through the American Rescue Plan.

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