More than 160 farm, food and agriculture organizations sent a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force calling on the federal government to allocate new resources for farmers, ranchers and growers during the pandemic.

Groups that signed the letter included the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Milk Producers Federation, the Farm Credit Council and many state-level organizations.

The groups recommended several actions for the Task Force to take:

Adapt farmworker housing requirements to facilitate greater social distancing and allow for the use of alternative housing structures.
Ensure COVID-19 testing resources are accessible to agricultural employers and their employees and that results are available in a timely fashion.
Help farmers offset the costs of COVID-19 mitigation expenses, while maintaining existing farm programs, by increasing Commodity Credit Corporation funds.
Prioritize personal protective equipment and future vaccine distribution for the food and fiber supply chain.
Work with states, counties, associations and community-based nonprofits to address areas of community exposure risks to the workforce that are outside the workplace, and ensure care is available and accessible to those who become ill, including in rural communities.

“Some of our recommendations…suggest direct farm assistance,” the letter said. “Others may be best delivered at the community level, recognizing that the risks of virus exposure and spread are not limited to employment, but to all aspects of life in the community.”

Farm groups ask for more coronavirus aid