Editorial counterpoint: Nutrition is missing from farm bill discussion

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As leaders of the five Feeding America food banks serving Minnesota, we took note of the Aug. 14 editorial “So much rides on the farm bill” — not for what was said, but for what wasn’t mentioned at all.

Reauthorized by Congress every five years, around 20% of the total funding in the farm bill goes toward crop subsidies, disaster relief for farmers, rural development, and incentivizes for the adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices. These components were the subject of the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board’s comments, and they dominated nearly all of the discussion at the various forums hosted recently at Farmfest, the state’s annual agricultural expo, in Redwood County.

There is no doubt that these are critical programs for the farmers and producers who help keep the shelves stocked, whether at your local food shelf or your local grocery store. The remaining 80% of the dollars authorized in the farm bill, however, power federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other hunger-fighting programs that support the hunger relief network and our neighbors facing food insecurity.

Given the major role nutrition plays in the farm bill, we were disappointed that it has received comparatively little attention in recent weeks. And with proposals on the table to cut future SNAP benefits at a time when hunger rates in Minnesota are skyrocketing, we want to make the case that this funding is equally worthy of broad support. Even in a divided Congress, lawmakers ought to be able to come together to ensure an adequate safety net exists for the people who grow our food and the people who couldn’t otherwise afford to consume it.

In our view, a successful farm bill will ensure that communities across the state receive both the food and economic resources they need to thrive. Partisan efforts to pull the rug out from under our producers and those who rely on SNAP would have an especially devastating effect on greater Minnesota, where food insecurity and SNAP participation rates are consistently higher than they are in Minnesota’s urban and suburban communities. A healthy farm economy is the backbone of our state’s economy, but we also know that rural economies disproportionately benefit from the added buying power SNAP generates.

This is true not just for the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who rely on SNAP to keep themselves and their families fed, but for the retailers who offer the fresh, nutritious food they are looking for. Studies have shown that every dollar in SNAP benefits yields a return of nearly $1.80 in economic activity. When SNAP dollars dry up, more Minnesotans rely on food shelves, depriving local economies of the additional spending and local tax dollars SNAP generates and further burdening an already stressed hunger relief network.

For these reasons, it is vital that Congress authorizes a new farm bill before the end of the year. Failure to come together in bipartisan fashion this year would create an environment of uncertainty which benefits no one. Agriculture is the foundation of Minnesota’s economy, and food security is the foundation on which all Minnesotans can thrive. That is why we are calling on Minnesotans to contact their federal representatives to demand that they work together, find common ground and pass a strong, bipartisan farm bill this year.

We are fortunate to have four members of our state’s delegation on the agriculture committees in the House and Senate, including both Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith along with Reps. Angie Craig and Brad Finstad. They need to hear from you — and so do the other six members of our federal delegation. In such divided times, there is one thing on which we should all be able to agree: No one in our state deserves to go to bed hungry. As the most effective anti-hunger program in America, SNAP is the best tool to ensure that is the case, and everyone wins when we keep it strong.

Allison O’Toole is CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. Melissa Sobolik is CEO of Great Plains Food Bank. Shaye Moris is president/CEO of Second Harvest Northland. Susie Novak Boelter is executive director of North Country Food Bank. Virginia Witherspoon is executive director of Channel One Regional Food Bank.