Idaho Delegation Calls on USDA to Assist Idaho’s Farmers and Ranchers

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho’s congressional delegation today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue calling for special attention to Idaho’s agricultural industry, which is experiencing great economic disruption due to COVID-19.

Idaho is home to 25,000 farms and 185 commodities, many of which are seeing severe impacts to the farm, processing, and supply chain levels. With many of Idaho’s commodities produced specifically for food service, many markets no longer exist.

The delegation asked Secretary Perdue to keep the interests of Idaho’s farmers and ranchers in mind as agriculture assistance in the CARES Act is allocated by the USDA, and also provided the Secretary with a selection of correspondence from Idaho producers and agricultural organizations personally detailing the disruption Idaho’s farms and ranches are experiencing.

“We hope this provides perspective as you make important decisions on how to use the resources included in the CARES Act,” wrote the delegation. “We also stand ready to work with USDA and our colleagues in Congress to continue to find ways to support our agricultural industry through this unprecedented time. The necessary measures taken to combat COVID-19 have changed the landscape of our economy, especially our food marketing chain, and it is our duty to ensure we don’t punish our farmers and ranchers and jeopardize the food security of the nation in the process.”