Ag News: Americans Preparing More Food
**Americans have already been devoting more time to food preparation, even before restaurants constricted operations and people were advised to stay at home.
A new USDA study says the amount of time people devoted to food preparation increased 18% in a decade's time, to about 27 minutes a day.
The time span for the study, obviously, predates the COVID-19 crisis.
**In a letter to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, R-CALF USA urges Congress' $9.5 billion COVID-19-related appropriations be used to directly assist cattle and sheep producers "whose already broken marketplace" has been severely impacted by coronavirus.
The letter specifically states assistance should target seed-stock producers, cow/calf producers, sheep producers, cattle and sheep backgrounders, stockers and feeders at risk of not being able to fulfill their financial obligations.
The group adds the assistance should go to producers of U.S. born and raised cattle and sheep and not to those selling foreign livestock.
**Ag producers now have more time to repay Marketing Assistance Loans as part of the USDA’s implementation of the CARES Act.
The loans now mature at 12 months rather than nine, and is available for most commodities.
The maturity extension applies to nonrecourse loans for crop years 2018, 19 and 20.
Eligible open loans must in good standing with a March 31st maturity date or later, or new crop year loans requested by September 30th.
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