Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/14/20

Tens of thousands of people are lining up for hours at food banks while American-grown fruits and vegetables and milk are being wasted by the ton. Can't USDA do something about the massive disconnect?

The American Farm Bureau Federation and Feeding America, a network representing food banks, wrote to USDA in a letter released on Monday asking for a new program that would be more rapid than the existing commodity purchasing mechanisms the department already has at its disposal.

The request is short on details, but the partnership between the Farm Bureau and food banks is notable. The groups told USDA they want a "voucher program that would deepen the relationships between farmers and food banks, allowing them to work directly with one another instead of relying upon third parties and what is sometimes a longer pathway to get food from farms to food bank shelves." They acknowledged there may need to be some "regulatory flexibility" to stand up such a program.

"This is an opportunity for USDA to act quickly to produce a win for food banks and a win for farmers," reads the letter, signed by Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, and Zippy Duvall, president of the Farm Bureau. "It is a chance for government to serve as a facilitator while clearing bureaucracy and red tape."

Dale Moore, executive vice president at the Farm Bureau, told MA on Monday that USDA hasn't responded to the idea yet, but the farm group envisions the possibility of vouchers helping to cover the cost of every step of the supply chain. Does the farmer need cash to harvest the crop? A voucher could help cover the cost. Same goes for packing, storing or transporting the food in boxes.

Moving a ton of food — faster: The $2 trillion stimulus package passed by Congress last month provided $400 million for ag commodity purchasing specifically for food banks, but much of that food is not expected to hit the ground until July. The Emergency Food Assistance Program, known as TEFAP, is a major part of the food bank system, but the process for soliciting bids and working out the logistics can take months. With the earlier aid package, TEFAP funds have been bumped up by $850 million this year.