Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced late last Friday that the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) will purchase approximately $60 million in cheese and cheese products to be used in domestic feeding programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expediting this cheese purchase to help provide support for low-income families struggling to feed their families and to aid dairy farmers dealing with high feed costs and low dairy prices.

The 2010 Agricultural Appropriations Act authorized the funding for the cheese purchases, along with $350 million for the Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment program announced earlier last week.

Read USDA's press release here.