The Morning Harvest: Farm and Food News, No. 022, Friday, October 30, 2026
Today in 30 seconds
Top story: USDA says it will buy up to $472.5 million of American food for food banks, with dairy the biggest line at $165.5 million.
Recall: Lidl's Gelatelli Coffee & Vanilla Gelato, lot 085261, was recalled for Listeria and may still be in your freezer.
Why it costs: Peru's blueberry forecast was cut, and USDA's ad count shows pints at $5.69 against $3.77 a year ago.
In season: Potatoes and cabbage are plentiful in grocery ads, with a 5 lb bag of russets at $2.97.
Could you grow this: Currants and gooseberries suit cool, partly shaded spots, but check your state's rules before you order.
Garden State: South Jersey vineyards are rebuilding after an April freeze that did about $300 million in damage statewide.
What is USDA's $472.5 million Section 32 food purchase?
The announcement. On Thursday, October 29, 2026, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said USDA intends to buy up to $472.5 million of U.S.-grown food for food banks and other nutrition programs. The program is called Section 32, and USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) does the buying. The words "up to" matter, because this is a spending ceiling and not a signed order. The release also names no pounds, no bid dates and no delivery dates.
The full shopping list. Dairy leads at $165.5 million, and pork follows at $41 million. The pulses, which are dried peas, lentils and chickpeas, come next. Split peas are $37 million and lentils are $29 million. Chickpeas add $20 million, which brings the pulse total to $86 million. Tree nuts are almonds at $30 million and hazelnuts at $22 million. On the fruit side, raisins are $25 million, and a dried fruit mix, grapefruit and oranges are $10 million each. The rest is rice at $21 million, catfish at $20 million, chicken at $20 million and Pacific whiting at $12 million. Those 15 lines add up to the full $472.5 million. The release gives no price per pound, carton or flat for any of them, so I cannot tell you what a box of grapefruit or oranges fetches in this deal.
Why this one stands out. Think of Section 32 as a reusable pot of money that USDA dips into each time a crop piles up. This year it has done that five times with a known dollar amount. In February it announced $263 million, on April 30 it announced $118 million, and on July 23 it announced $76.5 million. In August it added $156 million. October's $472.5 million is the biggest, about 1.8 times February's. Our arithmetic puts the five at $1,086 million for 2026, and that is an undercount, because two spring notices had no dollar figure.
Why these foods. The pulse lines trace back to a glut. USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) said in its July 30 outlook that lentil prices fell 37 percent from a year earlier. Farmers planted 747,000 acres of lentils, down 30 percent, but exports fell 62 percent, and June 1 stocks jumped 94 percent to 308 million pounds. When a crop piles up like that, buying it for food programs is one way to clear the shelf. Dairy tells a similar story. Block cheese closed the week of October 19 to 23 at $1.735 a pound and butter at $1.34 a pound, per AMS Dairy Market News. Those are prices milk producers and processors live with every day.
How the money moves. Here is the part most people miss. Farmers do not get a government check from this program. Section 32 comes from a 1935 law and is funded by 30 percent of customs receipts, according to Texas A&M economists writing in February. AMS asks approved vendors to bid, mostly processors and packers, and the winners deliver product to state agencies and food banks. Growers get paid only if their buyer wins a bid and then buys from them. Shoppers pay nothing extra at the register, and the release claims no effect on grocery prices. I did not find any New Jersey figure for this round.
What a farm sees. The release gives no farm-level numbers, so here is a university example, not a specific farm. North Dakota State University's 2026 budget for field peas in the North Valley counts on 48.97 bushels an acre at $7 a bushel. That is $342.81 an acre of revenue against $334.32 of costs, a net of $8.49 an acre. A pea acre barely clears its bills on a normal budget, so a price drop turns it red. For scale, USDA bought 18.75 million pounds of lentils across all programs in fiscal 2025, up from 4.1 million in fiscal 2024. Precedent also cuts both ways. A $470 million Section 32 package was announced on May 6, 2020 (a secondhand repost, so treat it as background). I found no source that says how long food takes to reach a pantry after an announcement. The order is announcement, then bids, then awards, then delivery.
Who reacted, and the rule that trips people up. Gregg Doud, CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, said on October 29 that the dairy buys help "move product." I could not find a farm group or food bank critic of this specific buy. The closest skeptics are Texas A&M's Bart Fischer and Joe Outlaw, who wrote in February that the $350 million carryover cap on farmer support is hard to justify. That concerns Section 32 rules in general, not this purchase. The catch for anyone hoping to sell: vendors must be AMS qualified before bids open, and the food must be grown and processed in the U.S. Bid dates for this buy are not posted. For more USDA money in the news, see our look at USDA conservation projects, specialty crop grants and record farm safety-net payments.
What to do
If you grow or process food in the U.S. and want to sell to USDA, email NewVendor@usda.gov or call (202) 720-4237 to start AMS vendor registration before bids open.
If you grow pulses, dairy, nuts, rice or citrus, ask your processor or packer whether they plan to bid.
Watch the AMS Purchase Schedule and solicitations pages for bid dates, since none are posted for this buy.
Keep your own price and cost records, the way the NDSU budget lays them out, so you can see where your acre stands.
If you are a shopper, know that this buys food for food banks and does not set grocery prices. Your local pantry is the place to help.
Sources: USDA release 0148.26, Oct 29, 2026; Agri-Pulse, Aug 2026; USDA ERS Pulse Outlook, Jul 30, 2026; AMS Dairy Market News, week of Oct 19; Southern Ag Today, Feb 5, 2026; NDSU Extension EC1656, Feb 2026; Progressive Dairy, Oct 29, 2026; AMS pulse pre-solicitation, Jan 14, 2025.
Is the Lidl Gelatelli coffee and vanilla gelato recall still active?
It is on FDA's list, and it is 13 days old. Lidl US recalled Gelatelli Coffee & Vanilla Gelato with Coffee Sauce & Cookie Pieces after a routine lab sample found Listeria monocytogenes. The tub is 16 fluid ounces with a brown lid, UPC 4 0564897 22458, lot 085261, best by MAR/26/2028 on the bottom. It sold in all Lidl US stores in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., from July 19 to October 15, 2026. Lidl announced it October 16, and FDA posted it October 17. No illnesses are reported. With a 2028 best-by date, a tub could still sit in a home freezer. Discard it or return it to Lidl for a full refund, no receipt needed. The hotline is (844) 747-5435, Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern.
What to do: Check the bottom of any Gelatelli tub, then bag and discard it. CDC says to wash a refrigerator's removable shelves, drawers and interior with hot soapy water. That page does not cover freezers.
Sources: FDA notice, Oct 17, 2026; CDC.
Why are blueberries so expensive in late October?
In USDA's weekly retail report, a pint of blueberries averaged $5.69 across 662 ads, against $3.77 across 1,149 ads a year ago. Those are ads, not stores, and the ad mix shifted. At wholesale, Peruvian blueberries in the Philadelphia and New York areas ran $35.00 to $50.00 for a flat of 12 one-pint cups, mostly $35.00 to $38.00. Our arithmetic makes that about $2.92 to $3.17 a pint, so the gap to the ad price is about $2.50 to $2.75. No source splits that gap. The worry is supply. Peru's growers' group Proarandanos cut its forecast to about 366,000 tons, 4.4% below last season, after El Nino hit harder than expected. The next eight weeks of shipments are forecast down 31%. Trade press says that squeezes supply. Mexican raspberries now run $14 to $18 per flat of 12 six-ounce cups, mostly $16 to $18, against $6 to $10 last October.
What to do: Compare packs by price per ounce and consider frozen. A few backyard blackberry or blueberry plants can fill the fall gap, with no promise of savings.
Sources: USDA FOB Review, Oct 29, 2026; USDA retail report; FreshPlaza, Oct 12, 2026.
What is in season now: potatoes and cabbage
Both are shipping heavily and are plentiful in grocery ads. I found no source calling either one at its national peak.
Potatoes. A 5 lb bag of russets averaged $2.97 across 5,651 ads in USDA's weekly retail report, against $3.26 last week and $2.68 a year ago. Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin and Minnesota are shipping mostly at $20 to $26 per 50 lb carton, steady. UMass Extension says cure potatoes 10 to 14 days, then store them cool at 38 to 40 F. Iowa State says keep them dark.
Cabbage. Round green cabbage averaged $0.76 a pound across 2,018 ads, against $0.78 last week and $0.68 a year ago. UGA Extension says it keeps up to four months in the fridge.
What to do: Buy extra potatoes while ads are strong, cure and store them dark, and cook a cabbage this week.
Sources: USDA retail report; USDA FOB Review, Oct 29, 2026; UMass Extension, accessed Oct 30, 2026; UGA, Feb 2024.
Could you grow currants and gooseberries in your backyard?
Possibly, and fall is a planting window. Penn State says a mature plant gives 5 to 7 pounds, usually by year three or four, and Minnesota Extension says up to 4 quarts. Call it 4 quarts to 7 pounds. UMass expects a light crop in year two and a full one by year three. Iowa State suggests 3 to 4 plants for a family, a single source. Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart, in rows 6 to 10 feet apart, in sun to part shade. Purdue says they do poorly in hot, dry places. Now, plant dormant one or two year old plants, cut the tops back to 6 to 10 inches and mulch 2 to 4 inches.
Caution: white pine blister rust rules vary by state. A nursery's state list says New Jersey needs a permit for European black currant and North Carolina prohibits currants and gooseberries. That list is a seller's, so check your state agriculture department before ordering.
If you want help with varieties and layout, our backyard fruit service offers remote design-only plans anywhere, and berries typically start producing in year two.
What to do: Call your state agriculture department, then order.
Sources: Penn State, Apr 2026; Iowa State, Jan 2025; Raintree.
How did the April freeze hit South Jersey vineyards?
Unevenly, and location made the difference. Visit South Jersey launched "Keep it Growin," asking families to visit local wineries and farm stands. Camden County Vineyards in Blackwood, one acre planted in 2019, lost 30% of its crop and still picked over 5,000 pounds. Steven Becker said the slope helped cold air drain. Auburn Road Vineyards in Pilesgrove in South Jersey lost 65%, and owner Scott Donnini said inland vineyards away from water lost 90 to 100%. Statewide freeze damage is about $300 million, an estimate in the reports, and wine losses may not be known until about 2028. Separately, the Next Generation Farmer Fund offers $10,000 to $50,000 to beginning farmers under 40, with applications through December 1, 2026.
What to do: In New Jersey, check visitsouthjersey.com for campaign details. Elsewhere, call your county FSA office and ask what covers freeze loss.
Sources: CBS Philadelphia, Oct 8, 2026; WMGK, Oct 8, 2026; Rutgers, Oct 29, 2026.
From the farm
Today we are doing admin work and more site visits for vineyard installation!
Want to start a backyard orchard, berry patch or vineyard?
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