Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I,Ref-Schoharie) wrote a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and President Trump on April 5 requesting the USDA’s assistance protecting New York farmers. Tague received a letter back on April 29 detailing the agency’s efforts to assist farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to thank the secretary and the president for responding to my concerns and those of farmers in upstate New York,” said Tague. “I am immensely happy the federal government is taking steps with the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and commodity purchase programs to help family farms survive this crisis. I am still concerned for farmers who have been forced to dump product and want to see them compensated for their losses, and while I am sure the state’s Nourish New York program will mitigate some of the damage, much of it has already been done and must be dealt with in a direct way. That said, I cannot overstate how much I appreciate the federal government’s communication and look forward to working together to get us all through this crisis.”

A copy of the letter written to Tague by Perdue can be read here.