On April 17 Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the USDA is exercising authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute up to $3 billion of agricultural products to those in need. USDA will join with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the reduction in foodservice sales, to purchase fresh produce, dairy and meat.
If your organization is interested in submitting a bid for the USDA Food Box Program or future programs but lacks a logistics plan or non-profit recipients, we encourage you to leverage the Western Growers/C. H. Robinson Transportation Program to gain access to our national distribution network and potential non-profit partners. For assistance, contact John Stenderup, our C. H. Robinson Program Manager at 831.392.5498 or at [email protected]
For those not planning on participating in the USDA program but still feeling the severe impact of COVID-19, we want to remind you that the Western Growers Transportation Program is an exclusive benefit for our members that offers a wide array of quality shipping solutions to deal with the present difficult transportation environment. The Western Growers Transportation Program provides:
- Access to a fully vetted network of temperature controlled and dry freight carriers
- Multi-Modal Capability: Truckload, LTL, Consolidation Service, Forward Warehousing, Intermodal, Rail, Ocean and Air
- Ability to handle all shipper freight requirements (fresh, processed products, machinery, packaging, etc.)
- The industry leading web-based technology platform (Navisphere)
- Customized pricing models
- Claims management
One phone call or email to John Stenderup can provide access to CHR’s extensive carrier capacity and the latest technology to optimize your distribution efficiency and better manage your supply chain spend during this uncertain time.
