KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Support remediation efforts for the meat processing industry:

• Support livestock producers’ access to local and regional processing and markets.

• Expand processing capacity by sustaining existing small and medium-sized meat packing plants and supporting the creation of new ones.

• Support resilience of the entire supply chain through market creation and support.

Support and strengthen direct markets and CSA efforts, including building out online sales and advertisements. Promote messages for people to purchase local food:

• Provide technical assistance and/or mini grants for developing online presence and sales platforms.

• Support rural internet and broadband infrastructure.

• Support consumer education about the benefits of purchasing and eating locally.

Increase funding and opportunities for schools and charities to continue purchasing local food at a fair and just price in order to grow local food supply chains:

• Build out farm to institution networks to facilitate connections between food needs and available produce.

• Increase governmental or private funding for institutional purchases of local food.

• Support the expansion of farm to institution infrastructure and programs.

• Cover increased purchasing costs directly related to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Support farmer collaborations and networking efforts that build more robust CSAs and direct markets as well as support labor sharing efforts:

• Support new aggregated CSAs in development of food safe pack houses where produce processing, washing, and packaging complies with food safe practices.

• Assist farmer aggregation networks with access to value chain software or apps.

• Support farmers in establishing communication, crop planning, and growing for aggregation so as not to flood the market with same crops. • Develop systems for large infrastructure/tool/refrigerated vehicle sharing to assist in produce distribution.

• Support education for farmers and the general public about mission-driven aggregation networks such as CSAs working with low-income community members.

Continue to support producer access to COVID-19 relief programs through education and outreach efforts. Increase the amount of aid available for producers through these relief programs:

• Identify federal, state, and private relief or assistance opportunities and share these with producer groups, farmers, and ranchers.

• Provide assistance to producers on how and where to apply for assistance programs.

• Provide outreach and educational resources, such as virtual workshops and webinar series that benefit and target agricultural producers.

Support drought and climate change adaptation/mitigation education, resources, and strategies:

• Promote drought planning as a key part of ranch plans.

• Support outcome-based management which may allow for more adaptability in management on federal and state lands.

• Support and promote programs and networks to connect drought inflicted graziers with grazable lands.

• Support more drought insurance resources and support installation of approved weather stations for drought monitoring.

Support farmer access to mental and emotional health services and improve rural producer internet access:

• Support producer access to telemedicine programs to help rural communities connect with mental health providers and with each other.

• Provide producers with mental health resources and access to mental health programs, including financial assistance to access these programs.

• Assist producers in accessing loans and grants for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of infrastructure and equipment needed to provide broadband service in rural areas.

Conduct outreach and education for producer vaccines:

• Ensure that producers are made aware of their priority status (producers are considered for Phase 1B).

• Provide information about how producers can receive vaccines.

• Provide adequate compensation to individuals involved in personalized outreach and education messaging efforts.

Support producer access to adequate personal protective equipment (PPE):

• Support outreach plans to assess the PPE needs of different types of producers and determine how best to deliver PPE to producers.

• Recommend protocols for PPE use to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19 for producers and consumers.