U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase up to $20 million in farm-raised catfish, which will likely benefit Mississippi catfish producers.
The USDA’s purchase will largely be used for distribution through food banks, charities, and other nutritional assistance programs and builds off a 2025 agreement to purchase $55 million in farm-raised catfish and Gulf shrimp.
This $20 million promise comes as part of a larger $76.5 million purchase in U.S. commodities through Section 32 – a program that supports producers of agricultural commodities that are not supported by large farm support programs.
“These Section 32 purchases will provide meaningful support for producers in Mississippi and other catfish-producing states while delivering a healthy, high-quality source of protein to families served by nutrition programs across the country,” Hyde-Smith said.
In June, Hyde-Smith, along with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Republican senators from Alabama and Arkansas, wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting that the USDA purchase surplus catfish products from the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry through Section 32.
“The farm-raised catfish industry has been under tremendous financial pressure as producers have struggled with years of rising costs and inflation. Like many agricultural sectors, our catfish farmers have faced significant economic challenges,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.
The letter stressed the importance of the catfish industry to states like Mississippi, emphasizing that it produces nearly $2 billion in economic output and more than 9,100 jobs across Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.
