U.S. Ag Secretary Announces Funds For Food Systems

US Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced hundreds of millions of dollars in new USDA grants and loans to do things like establish grocery stores in under-served areas, build more cold storage facilities for fruits and vegetables, plus support training for employees in the meat and poultry industry. Vilsack says the food system needs to be transformed to make that process less complicated and the financial costs of that transition easier to bear. Vilsack says other USDA initiatives will be expanded to support urban gardening – as well as public schools that buy locally produced food.