U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue tours the Hunger Task Force Farm vegetable farm, which administers USDA commodity programs and services area food pantries and food banks in and around Franklin, WI, on Aug. 3, 2017.
According to the Hunger Task Force Farm, the Farm grows fresh fruits and vegetables for the express purpose of feeding the hungry, creating a reliable source of healthy food for our network. Every pound of produce is delivered free of charge. All the Wisconsin staples are grown, including corn, peppers, green beans, asparagus, apples, pears and cantaloupe—over 30 varieties of fruits and vegetables in all. The Farm produces more than 750,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every year. All delivered free to the hungry in Milwaukee. Secretary Perdue begins a five-state RV tour today. This “Back to Our Roots” Tour, will gather input on the 2018 Farm Bill and increasing rural prosperity, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, in West Allis, near Milwaukee, MN, on Aug. 3, 2017. Along the way, Perdue will meet with farmers, ranchers, foresters, producers, students, governors, Members of Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees, and other stakeholders. This is the first of two RV tours the secretary will undertake this summer. “The ‘Back to our Roots’ Farm Bill and rural prosperity RV listening tour will allow us to hear directly from people in agriculture across the country, as well as our consumers – they are the ones on the front lines of American agriculture and they know best what the current issues are,” Perdue said. “USDA will be intimately involved as Congress deliberates and formulates the 2018 Farm Bill. We are committed to making the resources and the research available so that Congress can make good facts-based, data-driven decisions. It’s important to look at past practices to see what has worked and what has not worked, so that we create a farm bill for the future that will be embraced by American agriculture in 2018.” This first RV Tour will feature stops in five states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. For social media purposes, Secretary Perdue’s Twitter account (@SecretarySonny) will be using the hashtag #BackToOurRoots. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
. Original public domain image from Flickr