The National Milk Producers Federation commended Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for pledging to buy $317 million in dairy products as part of its Farmers to Families Food Box Program, an amount that is expected to rise in the months ahead. The products will start being distributed “within days,” according to the USDA’s announcement.
“Innovative solutions are demanded in these unprecedented times, and I applaud USDA for its actions to provide nutritious dairy products to families in need,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, the largest U.S. dairy-farmer group.
The purchases are part of $1.2 billion in contracts for agricultural products that support American producers and communities in need through CARES Act funding generously provided by Congress. A full list of approved suppliers will be posted on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program website at 5 p.m. Eastern Time today.
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.
