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

More than two dozen lawmakers sent Perdue a letter last week asking him to institute a USDA working group to diagnose rural-specific obstacles to confronting the coronavirus and to help connect those communities to federal resources. "The virus has reached rural areas and it has now become clear that they are less equipped to handle the consequences," they wrote.

Among the issues they flagged: Rural Americans on average are older and more likely to be uninsured and have underlying health conditions. Unreliable internet access in isolated areas makes working remotely or distance learning less of an option for rural employees and students. Ag producers and processors are facing a cash-flow crunch due to market disruptions, lower prices and a strained workforce. And rural economies are already in a weaker position since the last recession.

To read the letter, click here.