Via Electronic Mail 

Melissa R. Bailey, Ph.D.
Agricultural Marketing Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Room 2055-S, STOP 0201, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-0201 

Re: Docket Number: AMS–TM–21–0034 

Dr. Bailey: 

The undersigned agricultural trade and commodity organizations respectfully request that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) extend the deadline for the comment period on the “Notice; request for public comments” re: President Biden’s Executive Order on “America’s Supply Chains,” (Docket Number: AMS–TM–21–0034), by at least sixty (60) days. As the notice states, comments and information will assist USDA in preparing a report to be submitted by the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) within one year of the order’s issuance. 

Considering the significance of the topic and the complexities and breadth of information requested, we are concerned that the existing comment deadline will not provide us with sufficient time to perform the level of analysis that this request for information warrants. USDA is also planning to use public comments received through this notice to study how stimulus relief programs and spending related to food supply chain resilience authorized in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) can help to increase durability and resilience within the U.S. food supply. To this end, we may not have the time to produce helpful comments in the prescribed timeframe. 

Additionally, the spring planting, farmed fish spawning and crop input application season is an incredibly active time of year for many of our organizations’ members and we want to include them in the information collection process. Our goal is to develop carefully considered and well-informed comment letters that will be constructive to USDA’s future efforts on supply chain activities, and we believe this additional time is necessary in order for us to achieve that goal. For these reasons, we respectfully request that USDA extend the deadline for comments on the request for information for at least an additional sixty (60) days. 

If you have any questions, please contact Hunter Carpenter at (202) 595-1705 (hunter@aradc.org) or Lisa Kelley Van Doren at (202) 879-0811 (lvandoren@ncfc.org). 

Read the full letter.