‘Risk losing the farm’: how the Gov. shutdown could affect Kansans

KANSAS (KSNT) – The Sept. 30 deadline to renew the Farm Bill is just around the corner. With a government shutdown looming, how will this impact citizens and farmers in Kansas?

On Dec. 20, 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Farm Bill into law as part of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. The Farm Bill addresses commodity supports, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance and SNAP benefits, farm credit, rural development, crop insurance, livestock and more.

“The farm bill is critically important, not only to food but to national security,” said Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) earlier in September.

“We’ll do everything we can to make sure this thing [the Farm Bill] gets passed as quickly as it can,” USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters at the White House on Monday. “But it’s pretty tough to do if there’s a shutdown. You can’t do it.”

The USDA is responsible for maintaining 195 million acres of national forests and grasslands. When there’s a government shutdown, the national forests are closed. Vilsack said those vacations don’t take place, tourism dollars aren’t spent and the jobs they support are at risk under a shutdown.

The shutdown would put 50,000 workers at risk of furlough. Vilsack said it would impact every county in the country. Vilsack listed FSA offices, Rural Development Offices, NRCS conservation employees, Agricultural Research Service employees and administrative staff as those potentially impacted.

Without the Farm Bill, nearly seven million mothers and children nationwide could be jeopardized under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women (WIC), according to Vilsack. WIC is a program that provides nutritional food assistance to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, postpartum women, infants and toddlers up to the age of five. A shutdown would see a denial of those benefits and opportunities, according to Vilsack.

“In some cases, it would literally be within a matter of days after the shutdown,” Vilsack said.

Unlike SNAP food stamps, there isn’t the capability of the current administration to extend the funding of the WIC program. “Unlike the SNAP program, we don’t have that capability,” Vilsack said.

WIC serves approximately 44,000 Kansans, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. SNAP provides benefits to 7% of the total population in Kansas with 195,800 individuals taking advantage of the program, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The 2018 Farm Bill consists of 12 titles, one of those titles – the nutrition title – is composed of 76% of the total Farm Bill spending. Most of those funds go to SNAP, according to bipartisanpolicy.org.

The SNAP program will continue through the shutdown at least for the month of October. Vilsack said if the shutdown goes longer than that, there could be some serious consequences to SNAP.

Lisa Ross, K-State SNAP-Education coordinator, said 10% of Kansas households experience food insecurity. Programs like K-State’s SNAP-Ed fall under the umbrella of the nationwide SNAP program.

Vilsack said it wasn’t just women and children impacted, but also the farm economy.

“If they can’t harvest their crop or they don’t get the marketing assistance loan, they’re in a situation where they — they don’t profit,” Vilsack said. “If they don’t profit, they risk losing the farm.”

While farmers are harvesting their crops they’re seeking marketing loans which ensure they get decent prices for their crops. Farm service agency offices across the country would be shut down and loans would be unavailable. Vilsack said it could lead to a tremendous amount of stress for farm families. “With a shutdown, those loans don’t take place,” Vilsack said.

“It puts at risk the small and mid-sized farming operation in terms of their ability to get credit when they need credit, their ability to pay their bills when they need to pay their bills, the ability to make sure they can harvest their crop,” Vilsack said. “If they can’t harvest their crop or they don’t get the marketing assistance loan, then they’re in a situation where they don’t profit.”

Situations that require lab analysis such as detecting animal diseases quickly could be impacted. Food inspectors are essential workers and will still be on the job, according to Vilsack.

Lawmakers have until the clock strikes midnight on Saturday night to reach a deal. Otherwise, a government shutdown will be triggered. In years past, negotiations have come down to the wire.

To watch the full White House briefing, click here.

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