PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 22, 2020
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last Friday night announced the $19 billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Funded through the CARES Act, it is designed to support food producers and assistance providers in the same away its parent package was aimed more generally at individuals, small business and major industries. Maine’s food producers, particularly its small and medium-sized producers, should be aware that the program is available. The USDA should make sure it gets to them. It would be a tragedy if some didn’t make it through the shutdown only because they didn’t get the aid that was due to them.