The money comes from the Emergency Surplus Removal Program.
Pork heads the list at $100 million followed by $50 million worth of chicken, $10 million worth of lamb and $10 million worth of catfish.
The meat will go into the federal food nutrition assistance programs, including food banks.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the purchases will “help mitigate further downward prices, stabilize market conditions and provide high-quality, nutritious food to recipients of the USDA’s nutrition programs.”
The government opened some of its conservation reserve land to grazing and is working with crop insurance companies “to offer more flexibility to farmers” in 33 states affected by drought.
President Obama also ordered the Defence Department to buy meat to freeze for later use.
