Farm Bill Debate and Food Assistance

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is scheduled to testify before members of the Senate Ag Committee tomorrow morning, including Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.

Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, and a Democrat, wants policies at the U.S.D.A. which Grassley tells Radio Iowa will make it difficult to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill. This includes increasing SNAP benefits by $250 billion.

Grassley adds even with record farm income, almost half of farmers have negative farm income, with the largest 10% of the farms receiving 70% of commodity payments.

He wants payment cap legislation that targets farm programs specifically for small and medium-sized farmers that are actively engaged in farming.

As the 2023 Farm Bill continues to take shape, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, announced an "Agriculture Advisory Board" during a town hall event at Alpha Ag Research in Sanborn this morning. For more on the story from the Sioux City Journal click here.

NPR noted in February that a majority of spending in the bill is related to nutrition. Feenstra wants to see a food assistance program that isn’t just giving people a paycheck but getting them "out of poverty."

The head of the Community Action Agency a group that helps with programs for low-income Siouxlanders says the area is impacted by food deserts.

“How far is it for me to get to a grocery store? Is it more than a mile for me to get to a grocery store? I'm probably living in a food desert then. And then you've got to think about what kind of choice do I have when I get to that grocery store? Is it going to be affordable for me to be able to shop there? Do I have to get on a bus to try to get somewhere? And then how many groceries? Can I carry back with me when I'm on the bus? And we've got a lot of families in Sioux City that don't really have access.”

“I think we need to remember that some families are relying on maybe like a local gas station or the Dollar General Store that might be in their neighborhood. We have a lot of food deserts within those four counties (Woodbury/Plymouth/Cherokee/Ida).”

That’s Executive Director Jean Logan who says many are affected by a downturn in the economy.

“People have certainly been impacted by the cut to food assistance that occurred when the declaration went out that ended the Pandemic, people had been receiving, like the full award amount for food assistance. And once that declaration came, we really saw a tremendous spike in the number of people that needed help with our food pantry.”

The Community Action Agency runs a food pantry and other services to help community members. They also oversee the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

“The childhood Adult Care Food Program really comes from the federal Department of Agriculture. And it reimburses home daycare providers, for the nutritious meals and snacks that they serve.”

The program serves 54 in-home providers in Woodbury, Plymouth, Cherokee, and Ida Counties.

Submitted news release:

Feenstra Announces Agriculture Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) announced that he has assembled an Agriculture Advisory Board ahead of the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will serve as the honorary Chairman.

The board is comprised of 60 members of the greater agriculture community from all 36 counties in Iowa’s 4^th Congressional District, and represents a wide range of industries, including corn, soybeans, pork, beef, turkey, dairy, eggs, cattle, goat, seed, fertilizer, veterinary medicine, equipment manufacturing, FFA, conservation, agricultural lending, and research and development.

Feenstra’s Agriculture Advisory Board accompanies his work on his Feenstra Agriculture Tour, which he launched a few weeks ago at Morningside University in Sioux City, meeting with agriculture students.

“I am excited to announce my Agriculture Advisory Board as we work together to pass a strong Farm Bill that benefits Iowa. Between crop insurance and international trade to biofuels production and rural development, every title of the Farm Bill impacts Iowa agriculture and our economic vitality,” said Rep. Feenstra. “I look forward to working with Secretary Naig, my board, and farmers and producers across my district to create sound policy for the Farm Bill that protects the productivity and profitability of our agricultural industry. I’ve always said that Iowans and our rural communities deserve a seat at the table in Congress, and this board ensures that they do.”

“As a native of Palo Alto County, home to our family’s century farm in the heart of Iowa’s 4th District, I am proud to serve as the Honorary Chairman of Congressman Feenstra’s Agriculture Advisory Board,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Iowa needs a strong Farm Bill, and we are fortunate to have Congressman Feenstra delivering for us in Congress and on the House Agriculture Committee. I applaud Congressman Feenstra for assembling this group to identify critical Farm Bill priorities like building markets, driving conservation progress, providing nutrition assistance for those in need, implementing effective risk management tools and supporting rural economic development.”

Feenstra also hosted a Farm Bill town hall in Sanborn today to hear directly from local farmers and producers about their priorities for the Farm Bill. He formally announced his Agriculture Advisory Board at today's town hall.

The board will hold its first meeting from 10 AM CT to 10:30 AM CT on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

The 60 members of the Agriculture Advisory Board are as follows:

• Dr. Calie Burgart, Audubon County
• Former State Senator Jerry Behn, Boone County
• Mitchell Sievers, Buena Vista County
• Andy Kosky, Buena Vista County
• Darcy Maulsby, Calhoun County
• State Representative Mike Sexton, Calhoun County
• Will Reever, Carroll County
• Ramona Nitz, Cherokee County
• Chad Tentinger, Cherokee County
• Will Jones, Clay County
• Ty Rosburg, Crawford County
• Al Giese, Dickinson County
• Jim Boyer, Emmet County
• John Latham, Franklin County
• State Representative Shannon Latham, Franklin County
• Brian Borcherding, Franklin County
• Don Latham, Franklin County
• Leo Ettleman, Fremont County
• Sam Martin, Fremont County
• Jeff Jorgenson, Fremont County
• Ben Slinger, Hamilton County
• Jake Van Diest, Hamilton County
• Darrin Kruger, Hancock County
• Tony Smith, Harrison County
• Nick Nielsen, Humboldt County
• Jolene Riessen, Ida County
• Sara Winkleman, Kossuth County
• Dean Meyer, Lyon County
• Dwight Mogler, Lyon County
• Doug Stensland, Lyon County
• Scott Schneidermann, Lyon County
• State Senator Jeff Edler, Marshall County
• Wyatt Edler, Marshall County
• State Representative David Sieck, Mills County
• Dan Witten, Monona County
• Kelly Nieuwenhuis, O’Brien County
• Jeremy Van Ess, O’Brien County
• Corey Rozenboom, O’Brien County
• Rob Jacobs, Osceola County
• Eric Bruhn, Palo Alto County
• Andy Schroeder, Plymouth County
• Don Kass, Plymouth County
• Darin Dykstra, Plymouth County
• Grant Wells, Pocahontas County
• Chris Perdue, Pottawattamie County
• Chad Hansen, Sac County
• Gabe Ferry, Shelby County
• Brad Kooima, Sioux County
• Steve Rehder, Sioux County
• Craig Moss, Sioux County
• JT Dean, Sioux County
• Jeff Altena, Sioux County
• Bill Couser, Story County
• Marty Chitty, Story County
• John Fredrickson, Webster County
• Gregg Hora, Webster County
• Jacob West, Winnebago County
• Barbara Sloniker, Woodbury County
• Mark Nelson, Woodbury County
• Ethan Lambert, Wright County

National Child & Adult Care Food Program Week: March 12-18, 2023

The goal of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is to serve nutritious meals to children in care in child care homes and centers and in afterschool programs. The CACFP also serves adults in day care. Secondary goals are: 1. The establishment of positive eating habits at the earliest stages of development. 2. Reduction of future health care and education costs due to lack of proper early development. 3. Training and support of local child care personnel. Research also indicates that the CACFP is an indicator of quality child care.

During National CACFP Week, Community Action Agency of Siouxland joins with all other organizations nation-wide working in the CACFP in acknowledging the many ways our community benefits from the program.

Children and adults that are cared for by providers participating in the CACFP benefit from the nutritious meals that follow the CACFP meal pattern that ensure proper development. Children in CACFP receive meals that are nutritionally superior to those served to children in comparable child care settings not participating in the CACFP. These children benefit from early nutrition education that helps them establish positive eating habits that will enrich the quality of their diet throughout their life. Research shows that CACFP reduces food insecurity and plays a vital, clear role in promoting nutrition security.

Parents of children in child care are assured that their child(ren) receives high quality meals. With proper nutrition, the child is less likely to experience illness and fatigue and will develop at a normal physical and intellectual pace. Good nutrition is the recipe for an all-around happier child. By expanding access and strengthening CACFP, working families can ensure that their children are well cared for and receive the nutrient-rich diet and tools they need to be healthy.

Providers receive nutrition education and support services from their CACFP sponsor that help them serve nutritious meals and create a positive eating environment for children. Reimbursement for CACFP participation supports providers in offering nutritious meals to those in their care. As a result, CACFP providers serve more fruits, vegetables, and milk than non-CACFP child care providers.

This program provides over 1.8 billion meals and snacks to over 4.5 million children daily in child care centers, family day care homes, after-school programs, and over 137,000 adults in adult day care. Over 62,000 child care centers and 115,000 family day care providers work with 800 sponsors to use CACFP to provide children with high quality nutrition and learning experiences.

Please join us in honoring all CACFP providers for their invaluable work done on behalf of Iowa children. More information on the Child and Adult Care Food Program can be found at www.cacfp.org.