KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R - 4th District) sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins expressing his support for COVID-era food programs.
In March, the United States Department of Agriculture announced it would cut $1 billion from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS).
"We have to make our farmers and producers a priority, but we also have to remember that that food goes somewhere, and when it goes to feeding the needy in our great nation and in the Fourth Congressional District Missouri, I think it's a very important relationship to keep going." in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
RELATED | Kansas City area farmers lose big profits following USDA funding cuts
KSHB 41 has covered this topic extensively since the program cuts were announced earlier this year.
In Rep. Alford's letter to the USDA, he mentions constituents in his district impacted by the funding loss.
Josh and Lawanna Salmon from St. Clair County, Missouri, amplified their voice with KSHB 41 in March.
"There is over 300 pounds in here that was supposed to go out here at the end of March, beginning of April," Lawanna Salmon told KSHB 41 this Spring.
The Salmon family utilized the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) to sell their butchered beef to local school districts.
The second-generation beef cattle operation near Appleton City, Missouri, was forced to find another avenue of sale for its beef products when the cuts were announced.
"We're going to lose over $100,000," Salmon said. "We're going to have to do some juggling, refocus and figure out what to do with these cattle that we brought into this program."
Livestock production for this program is a long game, she explained.
The Salmon's set aside a specific number of cattle for this program. It's months of work they put into it.
KSHB 41 News reporter Ryan Gamboa spoke with Lawanna Salmon by phone Thursday, and she expressed her gratitude for the support in reinstating the program funding.
Salmon declined to participate any further in this story.
"They're being adversely affected, and their farm really depends on this to keep afloat," Alford told KSHB 41.
The Salmon family partners with New Growth, a non-profit organization that prioritizes the growth of rural communities and fighting hunger.
New Growth is part of the West Central Missouri Community Development Association with the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, which is associated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
"This is really great to hear," Sheridan Garman-Neeman told KSHB 41 about Alford's support. "I look forward to those contracts resuming."
The Heartland Regional Food Business Center offers resources used to fund food and farm businesses in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Garman-Neeman told KSHB 41 that the most recent $2.1 million funding commitment through these programs sits frozen by the USDA.
The organization has contingency plans in place if employee layoffs are necessary. That hasn't happened, but it has become more reliant on donations and foundation funding.
Alford told KSHB 41 that he's under the impression existing agreements are to be allowed to finish and that those funds have been unfrozen.
No new agreements will be issued in the future.
"We're asking Secretary Rollins of the USDA to reconsider that," Alford added.
KSHB 41 also met with Harvester's Community Food Bank in March this year.
"In our case, it was about $1 million we received in each round of funding," CEO and President Stephen Davis said this Spring. "Over a period of two years, it gave us about $1.5 million in produce."
RELATED | Kansas City USDA food program cuts could leave some without enough food
Harvesters Community Food Network serves 27 counties in and around the Kansas City area across each state line.
The $1 billion slashed by the USDA in March cut $660 million for the LFS program and $420 million for the LFPA Program.
Harvesters was an LFPA funding recipient in Kansas only.
Historically, the funding has been disbursed to each state, and the state is subject to its own regulations.
Harvesters found it was not financially feasible for them to meet Missouri's requirements for the funding.
Those dollars went directly to its Kansas farm partners for produce, dairy, and protein.
Alford told KSHB 41 that he'd be willing to have conversations with the Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Chris Chinn and Governor Mike Kehoe (R-Missouri) on how to navigate better disbursement plans.
A Harvesters Community Food Network spokesperson issued this statement:
The Community Food Network highly supports any effort to bring back funding for the LFPA program. Harvesters utilized LFPA funding in the past to purchase great quality produce, protein and dairy from local farmers and distribute it to families and seniors experiencing food insecurity. If funding can be reinstated, we encourage the Secretary of Agriculture to consider funding this program permanently through the Farm Bill to allow more long-term stability for the farmers producing this food.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, is passed every five years in Congress.
The bipartisan piece of legislation is a safety net for producers, including numerous programs such as crop insurance, conservation, and agriculture research programs.
RELATED | Farm safety net funding rolls out as farmers continue the push for a new farm bill
The 2018 bill is $428 billion in total; $325.8 million, or 76%, funds nutrition programs like SNAP.
The Farm Bill is currently expired.
The Republican backed "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" is reported to cut $230 billion from the SNAP program over the next decade.
The new legislation adds new work and state reimbursement requirements for eligibility.
RELATED | Miami County agriculture producers concerned for safety net programs as farm bill expires
In the 118th Congress, House Republican leaders could not get a Farm Bill passed last year.
Alford says there were some updated provisions in the "One, Big Beautiful Bill" that updated some Farm Bill provisions, including reference prices, safety net programs, and SNAP reform.
"We're running out of legislative time. We do not need another Continuing Resolution," he said. "We are getting a little bit done, but we need to get the Farm Bill on the House floor and need to get it passed."
There is no timeline for when the LFPA and LFS programs could continue.
Congressman Alford says he's listening to his constituents and who have amplified their voice across the 4th District.
"I've seen some of the reports that have come out of your station... This is about feeding people who are hungry and keeping some of these programs going that rely on this funding," added Alford. "I wish I would've done this sooner."
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