healthy food - Smith Farm Chicken - a local success story - SIBEJO

SLU student and summer intern Amanda Korb will be spending part of her time visiting farmers and profiling them here on the GardenShare blog.  Here's her first entry:

�Fajita spiced Smith Farm Chicken Breast on a crisp house made blue and yellow corn tortilla with queso fresco, shaved lettuce, toasted cumin sour cream and fresh cilantro.� Sounds delicious right? So describes a dish prepared by the 1844 House, an American bistro in Potsdam, made with chicken raised and processed by Massena locals Ron and Cathy Smith.

On Farmers Market days, Ron and Cathy get up at 6am
to prepare their trailer with fresh poultry for customers

Smith raises approximately 800 chickens, a handful of turkeys, beef, and occasionally pigs. Their primary focus is chicken; a USDA inspected and certified processing unit stands within yards of their chicken barns. The chickens have 24/7 access to an outside yard from their clean and spacious coops. Each chicken receives an abundant of food, water, sunlight and socialization.

The Ron and Cathy�s bottom line is the humane treatment of animals. Ron said he knows many farmers who dislike their livestock, or find their daily farm life a chore. He believes if one doesn�t like an animal, then one shouldn�t raise it. Cathy asserted. �It�s not about how long the animals lives, but the quality of life we give them�. Evidence of Ron and Cathy�s words was abundant as I took a tour of their facility. The impeccable cleanliness of the slaughterhouse would impress even my Grandma. What is more, Cathy nurtures any sick animal on the farm personally. They currently have two pet turkeys and four pet laying hens.

This is Ron�s retirement job. Cathy works full time as a dog groomer in a shop right next to the slaughterhouse. When I asked Ron if he could have the same quality of life if poultry farming was his lifetime occupation, his answer was clear a �no.� Sustainability, Ron believes, is the capability to break even on expenditures while still making some sort of income.

Ron sits next to his daughter and granddaughter
at the Canton Farmers Market

That income can be found in the freezers clustered around the farm. Ron said he had intentions of installing a walk-in freezer, but the cost did not outweigh the benefits. Instead, a horse trailer filled with freezers of chicken processed the night before is one of the first to make an appearance at the Canton and Potsdam farmers markets. Aside from the markets, the Ron and Cathy also profit from the aforementioned 1844 House as well as Jake�s on the Water. The couple both survives and relies on local business alone. When I asked which subsidized them more- markets or restaurants- Ron replied it is a balance of both. One challenge they face is competing against the cheap chicken prices Wal-Mart and Aldi�s offer, which is a quick 15-minute drive down the road from their farm. For families receiving SNAP, a $1.65/lb chicken breast is the more affordable option than Smith Farm $3.00/lb. Ron even admitted he would shop at WalMart if the roles were reversed.

The question of cheap food v. the added cost local food then comes into play. At GardenShare, we focus on raising the region�s economy by encouraging families to buy local food. For every $10 spent at Wal-Mart or Aldis, a farmer only receives $1.58 in return. Contrasting, a farmer collects $8-9 for every $10 spent at a local farmers market. GardenShare recognizes buying local as a point of paramount significance; therefore, we try to promote programs such as CSA Bonus Bucks and SNAP Double Up, which make choosing local the more promising option. EBT machines are available both the Potsdam and Canton Farmers Market, where Ron and Cathy can be found selling their fresh poultry. Taking the same $10 spent at the farmers market, about $7.80 is re-spent into the region. Paying a few more cents for local food supports the farmers who raise the product, the community surrounding the farmers and in turn the next generation.

healthy food - PREPARING FOR THE NEXT RECESSION BY STRENGTHENING SNAP - SIBEJO

The current economic recovery is already longer than the postwar average, so it may be prudent to ask--is a recession lurking around the corner? While there�s no way to know, Congress could start preparing for one by strengthening the �automatic stabilizers� in the federal budget�programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and unemployment insurance�that, without the need for action by Congress, expand when the economy is weak and contract when the economy begins to recover.

When the last recession hit, Congressional action was needed to increase SNAP�s maximum monthly food benefit by about $63 a month for a family of three, and that boost was only temporary.  In addition to raising consumer demand, this benefit expansion reduced hunger, and it kept nearly a million people out of poverty in 2010. If Congress doesn�t act before the next recession, it will again be pressured to enact a temporary benefit increase, which may not take effect in time. Instead, Congress could enhance SNAP now to ensure that an expansion kicks in automatically when certain economic indicators are breached. Its size should be tied to the severity of the downturn, and the increase would phase out once things improved.

Source: New York Times, 4/29/16, The Next Recession

healthy food - SNAP CASELOADS DROP - SIBEJO

The number of SNAP participants has fallen by more than 3 million in the last three years, new USDA data for show � reflecting the broad pattern for SNAP that the Congressional Budget Office and others had forecast. SNAP grew significantly between 2007 and 2011 to meet rising need, as millions more people became eligible due to the Great Recession and lagging recovery; participation among those eligible also rose.  That�s consistent with SNAP�s design and purpose.  Caseload growth slowed substantially beginning in 2012 as the economy improved.  Participation peaked in December 2012 at 47.8 million and fell by roughly 3.2 million between February 2013 and February 2016, to 44.4 million. The declines have been widespread:  43 states had fewer SNAP participants in February 2016 than in February 2013. 

Source: Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 5/10/16, SNAP Caseload

healthy food - SNAP participation drops by more than a million people - SIBEJO

Nationwide, SNAP caseloads dropped by 1.3 million people in January 2016, as compared to January 2015.  SNAP participation is at its lowest level since April of 2011.

Lower SNAP caseloads is likely due to an improving economy, and yet despite economic improvement, food hardship remains high, with a Gallup poll showing that 17% or respondents did not have enough money to feed themselves in the first half of 2015.

Source:  Food Research and Action Center, much more detail here