The Farm Bill is a package of legislation passed roughly once every five years that has a tremendous impact on farming livelihoods, how food is grown, and what kinds of foods are grown. Covering programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to healthy food access for low-income families, the farm bill sets the stage for our food and farm systems.
As an advocate for policies and programs that lift North Carolina families and address food insecurity, it’s our job to make sure that the farm bill is good for farmers, the natural environment, and the families our food bank serves.
The last Farm Bill was signed into law on December 20, 2018, and expired on September 30, 2023. In May 2024, the the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry out forth their respective versions of a new Farm Bill.
In the House: House Chairman GT Thompson (PA-15) released The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, a draft farm bill for markup by the committee. While the House farm bill text does propose several limited improvements to nutrition programs, those are vastly outweighed by provisions that would weaken the government’s ability to provide vital resources to people facing food insecurity. Specifically, SNAP and TEFAP, cornerstone programs in our work, would be negatively impacted.
In the Senate: The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act was released by Senator Stabenow, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. This document takes the opportunity to protect and strengthen federal nutrition programs, including SNAP and TEFAP..
WHY IS THE FARM BILL IMPORTANT TO OUR WORK
Title IV, the “nutrition title,” in the Farm Bill authorizes several federal nutrition programs and comprises approximately 75% of the funding in the Farm Bill. Among the federal nutrition programs authorized by the Farm Bill are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps)
SNAP is the nation’s first line of defense against hunger.
For every meal Second Harvest Food Bank provides, SNAP provides nine.
For 2022 (Most recent data available):
Four-in-five (79 percent) SNAP households included either a child, an elderly individual, or a nonelderly individual with a disability.
The average SNAP household received a monthly benefit of $297.
The Majority of SNAP households (75 percent) lived at or below the poverty level.
Social Security benefits were the most common source of income among SNAP households.
SNAP helps people who are paid low wages afford food and continue to work, particularly as they face high food prices due to inflation.
SNAP PRIORITIES IN THE NEXT FARM BILL
Ensure SNAP’s purchasing power aligns with rising grocery prices and provides adequate support during tough economic times.
Simplify SNAP eligibility and enrollment for older adults, college students, veterans, working families, immigrants, and other people facing barriers.
Protect SNAP choice and focus on ensuring affordable access to nutritious foods.
Improve assistance to individuals seeking employment by supporting effective state employment and training programs and ensuring people have access to SNAP benefits as they find work.
Allow Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories to participate fully in SNAP.
Improve equitable access by allowing the eligible households to receive both Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and SNAP
THE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP)
TEFAP is the cornerstone of the emergency food assistance program and accounts for 38% of the product that Second Harvest Food Bank distributed in FY 2022.
TEFAP moves food from farms to food banks to individuals and families facing hunger and means more healthy foods on dinner tables across northwest North Carolina.
Strengthening TEFAP means more purchases from local growers and producers – a boon for the bottom line of NC’s agricultural economy.
The Storage and Distribution reimbursement for receiving, storing, and distributing TEFAP product covers only 24% of the actual cost to Second Harvest.
TEFAP PRIORITIES IN THE NEXT FARM BILL
Reauthorize and double mandatory funding for TEFAP food purchases, adjusted for inflation.
Reauthorize and increase to $200 million per year discretionary funding for TEFAP Storage and Distribution to help cover more (up to 50%) of real costs for this program.
Reauthorize $15 million per year in discretionary funding for TEFAP infrastructure grants to build capacity to store and deliver TEFAP product, especially in rural areas.
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