In An Autumn Of Uncertainties, More Kids Can Rely On Free School Lunches
As the new school year gets underway, some students are in classrooms and others are at home but one thing is now clear: all kids can get free school…
With Extra Food In Their Fields, Farmers Partner With Nonprofits To Help The Hungry
While COVID-19 has hampered farmers this year by forcing many farmers markets and restaurants to close, usually it’s the weather that threatens crops. A…
In Rural Nebraska, Combating Pandemic Hunger Requires All Hands On Deck
Lexington, Nebraska, is just one of the many rural communities that has long dealt with food insecurity, but the global pandemic both intensified need…
Help From Uncle Sam Isn’t Reaching All Farmers
When you walk into Cyndy Ash’s barn, one of the first things you notice is a huge burlap sack, bursting at the seams with wool. “We’re sitting on about…
New Study Reveals Racial Disparities Among Food Insecure Families
The number of families experiencing food insecurity has hit a record due to the pandemic, and Black and Hispanic families are disproportionately…
USDA ‘Lacks Transparency’ In How It’s Distributing Coronavirus Aid
In the past two weeks, the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) has issued about $1.4 billion to agricultural producers to provide a boost…
Hemp Program Underway In Illinois
Corn and soybean fields as far as the eye can see are the typical sights of summer throughout rural areas of Illinois. But next year, ‘fields of green’…
Study: Cover Crops Reap Financial Benefits, Not Just Environmental
An increasing number of farmers is using cover crops to keep water, soil and nutrients from running off fields. But while many studies have shown the…
Soybean Farmers Win Big In $12 Billion Federal Aid Package
The details of the federal government’s $12 billion aid package for farmers affected by trade disputes are out — and soybean farmers are the major…
Lawsuit Alleges Former JBS Employee Harassed By Coworkers Due To Religion, Race
Major meatpacking company JBS USA faces another religious discrimination lawsuit. The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, alleges…
U.S. Senate Passes Farm Bill, Meaning It’s Time To Compromise With House
The Senate took a crucial step Thursday to making sure that, among other things, the hungry are fed, farmers have crop price protections and land is…
House’s Version Of Farm Bill Passes By 2 Votes
Thursday had all the makings of deja vu for the U.S. House’s farm bill draft: immigration concerns, uncertain Republican votes and a wall of Democratic…
White House Plan Would Move Food Aid Out Of USDA, Combine Food Safety Efforts
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the nation’s largest program to reduce hunger. It’s also the biggest program at the U.S. Department of…
Shortage Of Rural Veterinarians Puts Farmers, Food Supply At Risk
Thirty-eight calves, between two and four months old, moo and kick at the dirt floor in a steel barn in Brush, Colorado. One by one, a handler leads…
If It Ain’t Got That Zing: A Weekend At The International Horseradish Festival
Two counties in southwestern Illinois grow the majority of the nation’s — possibly the world’s — horseradish. The city of Collinsville, population 25…