Farmers and ag groups are reviewing a new bill called the Food Supply Protection Act. The measure, introduced by Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Sen. Debbie Stabenow, has been met with mixed reviews.
Nebraska Farmers Union President, John Hansen says that the bill contains several components agriculture has been looking for. Hansen states, “It looks like it does a lot of the things the ag community has been asking for. It helps support food banks, it helps provide a lot of support to the non-profits and other folks that are trying to move products that can’t get processed...”
He says that the pandemic has caused a lot of economic devastation and more people needing the services of food banks just to meet their basic needs. Hansen notes that a lot of farmers and small business owners are facing economic hardships, thus these issues with their income stream makes it hard for one to pay their bills and provide for their families.
Sen. Stabenow’s bill provides infrastructure grants that can be used for additional cold storage and refrigeration transportation, PPEs, rental costs and use of commercial and community infrastructure.
Products eligible for the program would include meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, seafood, fruits, and vegetables.