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USDA purchases $100 million in apples

The USDA has announced a $100 million purchase of fresh and processed apples to alleviate the marketplace from this year’s abundant harvest.

Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association’s Dawn Drake says Section 32 purchases help reduce excess inventories and support farmers.

“It’s very uncommon quite frankly,” she says.  “We only approach USDA to make a Section 32 purchase when we know that there really is no other outlet for all of these apples.”

She says USDA has previously made Section 32 apple purchases in 2022 and 2016 because of record crops. 

“In ‘ 22 and also 2023, Michigan has replaced New York as being the number two apple-producing state in the country, so because of that we have an excess supply of apples not only in Michigan but in the east,” she explains.

Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters urged USDA to make the purchase in October when the record 32 million bushels of apples in the state were being harvested.  The agency will buy $60 million in fresh apples and $40 million in processed apples to be distributed to food banks, school meal programs, and other programs across the country.

Any approved USDA vendor in the U.S. can apply to be a supplier of the purchase announcement.  The Agriculture Marketing Services solicits vendors on an ongoing basis for over 200 different foods for programs.  Products must be 100 percent domestically produced and processed.