Coping in Wake of Hurrican Idalia and Food Loss & Waste Funding
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**Hurricane Idalia left a trail of physical destruction in its wake.
www.gfb.org reports, while farmers may still be talking with insurance adjusters, repair people, FSA, and others, the CDC has some helpful steps for coping with disaster:
Remember to eat and sleep. Talk with friends and family about your concerns and how you’re doing. Take breaks and avoid too much exposure to the news.
And finally, seek support if you need it.
www.gfb.org/media-and-publications/news.cms/2023/1571/coping-with-stress-after-the-storm
**The USDA announced an additional $25 million investment to expand efforts to prevent and reduce food loss and waste.
The investment, funded under the American Rescue Plan Act, is part of a joint agency initiative between USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist.
In the U.S., over one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste.
**Apples are a fall staple.
However, new data from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows a majority of apples are used in juices.
In 2021, 45.9 pounds of apples per person were available for domestic consumption, according to USDA’s Food Availability data product.
52% of those available apples, 23.7 pounds per person, was in the form of juice or cider, about two gallons per person.
Fresh apples accounted for 34%, 15.8 pounds per person.
