HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — Virginia farmers facing cold snaps, droughts and rising fertilizer costs brought their struggles directly to top federal officials on Wednesday.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins met with row croppers and livestock producers at the State Fairgrounds. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and nutrition advisor Dr. Ben Carson also joined the roundtable.
Rollins said keeping farms in business is a matter of national security.
"If we want to maintain a strong, resilient food system, which, as I mentioned at the top, is national security, then we have to ensure it works for every business of every size, because a food system that relies only on the biggest players is ultimately not sustainable," Rollins said. "The Trump administration understands this, and our small processors action plan will help us better serve small operations and the men and women who make them run."
That plan includes $60 million to expand small meat and poultry processing plants. Additional funding is also coming for mid-sized processors struggling with recent closures.
The USDA is also expediting disaster assistance for farmers impacted by a recent freeze. That money was requested by Gov. Abigail Spanberger and should arrive within a week.
The department also plans to share new rules for school lunches in the coming months.
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