Tag Page USDA

How USDA’s New Top Money Guy Affects Your Groceries

Heads up, foodies and farmers: Texas native Justin Benavidez just landed the top economist gig at the USDA. Why care? He’s the numbers guy who’ll be forecasting food prices and shaping policies that hit your wallet at the grocery store. With his real-world ranch experience, expect decisions that could make your next steak or salad a little more affordable—or not. Keep an eye on those price tags! #Business #Industry #USDA

I Can't Sell My Food to the Poor, and I Can't Donate It Either

I'm a vegetable farmer. This month has been a double-hit. First, 40% of my customers at the local farmers market rely on SNAP. The first week of November, they vanished. Even now that the court ordered the benefits (on the 8th), they're panic-buying canned goods, not my fresh lettuce. Second, I thought, "Fine, I'll donate the produce to the food bank." But here's the policy problem: I rely on the USDA's "Good Samaritan" donation program for the tax deductions that offset my shipping costs. The USDA is closed. No one is processing the deduction paperwork. It is now more expensive for me to haul this food to the food bank than it is to let it rot in the field. #Farmer #SNAPShutdown #FoodWaste #USDA

My Customers (SNAP) and My Subsidies (USDA) Are Both Gone

I'm a farmer who sells at the local farmers market. I have two types of customers: middle-class folks with cash, and low-income families using SNAP (EBT cards). SNAP accounts for 40% of my weekend revenue. The first week of November, they all vanished. The EBT cards had no money. At the exact same time, the farm loan I need from the USDA to buy seeds for next season is frozen. And the crop reports from the USDA that I need to plan my harvest? Publication suspended. This is the policy absurdity: The government (USDA) is supposed to pay me (the farmer) to grow the food, and pay the poor (SNAP users) to buy my food. Now the government is shut down, and both ends of that deal are broken. I'm the guy in the middle getting crushed. #Farmer #USDA #SNAPShutdown

💥 Governor Josh Stein Announces Funding Boost to Help Feed North Carolina Families Amid SNAP Pause‼️ Governor Josh Stein just announced that a new lawsuit has helped unlock USDA funds, allowing North Carolina families to receive part of their November food benefits. While food stamp (SNAP) assistance has been partially paused, the state is teaming up with private partners to send $18 million to food banks across NC. This is a major relief for thousands who rely on these programs to keep food on the table. 🥫🍎 👉 Follow TatianaJ to stay updated on community resources, local news, and important updates that impact North Carolina families! #NorthCarolina #JoshStein #SNAPBenefits #FoodStamps #USDA #FoodBank #TatianaJ #NewsBreak #CommunityUpdates #SNAPBenefits #SNAPLife #SNAPTalk

Everyone, PLEASE get this straight: Funding #SNAP has *NOTHING* to do with the federal government #shutdown. They are two entirely different issues. • The emergency funds to pay SNAP benefits are ALREADY IN the USDA's current, eexistingbudget. The $5 Billion is there, in the #USDA account, ready to be distributed to states. Trump and Republicans refuse to authorize it. Trump even removed the text from the #OMB and USDA websites that say so. • #Georgia is sitting on $21.5 Billion OF OUR tax dollars in surplus and rainy day funds. Gov. Kemp refuses to use any of it to pay for the 1.4 Million Georgians who rely on SNAP to feed their families. His excuse is that if we use tax money to help the people who paid the taxes, it will lead to a chain reaction of other Georgians expecting our state government to help them. What gall! Taxpayers expecting their taxes to benefit taxpayers! #SNAPBenefits #SNAPLife #SNAPTalk