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USDA to buy cranberry products

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Ag Marketing Service will purchase up to $55 million worth of cranberry products to mitigate the impact of oversupply on growers. The purchase should cover up to 68 million pounds or 680,000 barrels of cranberries which will be distributed through food pantries.

Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin led a bipartisan effort asking Secretary Vilsack to purchase cranberry concentrate, cranberry sauce, dried cranberries and related processed products under Section 32. The program is funded through customs receipts and the products purchased are provided to food pantries, which distribute the products to families in need. The agency will put out procurement notices for specific products in the next few months.