USDA to Food Banks and USMEF Applauds Trump
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**By mid-May, the USDA plans to begin shipping food boxes to food banks through a new program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation says the food boxes will be packaged for household use, and will contain fresh produce, dairy and meat products.
AFBF says more Americans will likely need food assistance due to pandemic-related job losses.
**President Trump’s signing of an executive order to ensure meat production can continue during the COVID-19 crisis is getting a thumbs up from the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
USMEF President Dan Halstrom says ‘the order will help ensure a steady, reliable supply of high-quality U.S. protein, not only for U.S. customers, but across the globe.
Halstrom adds the U.S. meat industry is already taking extraordinary steps to ensure worker safety, including COVID-19 testing, temperature checks, use of personal protective equipment and social distancing of employees.
**The Energy Information Administration released its Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending April 24, which reflects the impact of COVID-19 on the ethanol industry.
According to agrimarketing.com, the data, analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association, shows ethanol production scaled back by 4.6% per day, the lowest level since ethanol production statistics began in 2010.
Production was 48% below the same week in 2019.
Ethanol stocks contracted for the first time in five weeks.
https://www.agrimarketing.com/s/130177
