The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be announcing the availability of another $500 million to $700 million for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program this week.
Greg Ibach, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, mentioned the agency’s plans for a third allotment of funds for the program during a July 21 hearing of the House Agriculture Committee’s Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations Subcommittee to review the program.
Ibach said the USDA will also schedule a web seminar on how to apply for the funds, in what will be the third round of contracts through the program. During the hearing, a number of House Democrats asked Ibach about the procedures the USDA took in awarding the initial contracts.
The questions focused on USDA’s plans to pursue contracts to supply rural and other areas underserved by the first two rounds of contracts, and steps that might be taken to include small growers and minority growers in the next round.
Ibach said the second round of contracts, announced July 1, included $218 million to companies that did not receive first-round contracts, with the intention to cover areas not served by the initial contracts.
Ibach said the necessity to rapidly move perishable produce, dairy and meat items through the program precluded the USDA from having a competitive bidding process as with other USDA programs.
The administration allocated $3 billion for the food box program, and the first round, covering May 15-June 30, was for $1.22 billion. The second round, from July 1-Aug. 31 was $1.47 billion. During the July 21 hearing, Ibach referred to $500 million to $700 million in the third round.
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