Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Toledo to tout a new $2 billion framework to improve the U.S. food supply chain, as the coronavirus pandemic has sent ripples through the economy.
According to the USDA, Vilsack’s framework will “transform the food system to benefit consumers, producers and rural communities by providing more options, increasing access, and creating new, more, and better markets for small and mid-size producers.”
During the visit, Vilsack was joined by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09)
“Virtually everything … is applicable here,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during the visit. “There are folks who could access the urban agriculture grant program. There are persons that are definitely going to be interested in the organic-transition initiative. There are persons that are excited about the healthy-food-financing initiative to remove food deserts…”
With the $2 billion, $375 million would be spent for “independent meat and poultry processing plant projects” and $400 million for “regional food business centers.”
However, according to the Republican National Committee, many of the issues residents in Ohio are facing are due to policy decisions from the Biden administration.
The group cited the rising costs of many goods for farmers, including fertilizers and other production costs. Furthermore, the cost of feed for livestock has spiked, forcing farmers to pay hundreds more.
“Tom Vilsack and Marcy Kaptur are responsible for the unprecedented hardships facing Ohio farmers. Rising grocery bills on families, soaring cost of fertilizer, and the supply chain crisis will continue to cripple family farms in Toledo until they reverse course on the failed policies of Biden,” said Ohio Press Secretary for the RNC, Matthew Fisher, in an emailed statement..
In Ohio, the Biden administration has become increasingly unpopular. According to data from Morning Consult, polls show Biden’s job approval underwater by 19 points.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tom Vilsack” by Marcy Kaptur.
