Kentucky has much riding on farm bill

Our holiday menu is filled with family recipes passed down from generations of fantastic cooks. Over the past few years it has become my mission to pass on our family’s cooking legacy to my daughter, nieces and nephews. We roast the turkey, make yeast rolls, dressing, corn bread, sweet potatoes — the dishes never end.

As a chef and restaurateur, I work hard to provide my customers and my family with the very best Kentucky can produce, and we are fortunate to have access to anything we want to eat. But there are thousands of Kentucky families who do not have food on their holiday tables — or throughout the rest of the year — to share with loved ones.

One of the most difficult issues in my business and in our community is the issue of healthy food access while witnessing the tremendous amount of food that gets thrown away.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture reports that one in six Kentuckians — 17 percent of our population — is food-insecure. That includes more than 200,000 children.

Almost 25 percent of Kentucky’s children live in poverty and feel the direct impact of food insecurity. And this is not a regional problem. People in every Kentucky county and congressional district are affected.

In a caring state such as ours, there are efforts underway at the state and local levels to tackle this problem. But there is one key element that we need to support this work: the federal farm bill, whose renewal is critical before program funding expires at the end of the year under the current law. The Senate agriculture committee’s version of the bill, now up for consideration, would:

▪ Support veterans who want to farm.

▪ Include programs to help young or disadvantaged farmers stay in farming.

▪ Reject work requirements for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

▪ Establish the Local Agriculture Market Program to help communities expand access to nutritious food for consumers.

▪ Preserve the Conservation Stewardship Program that helps farmers improve their operations and be good stewards of the land.

A strong farm bill would benefit Kentucky in various ways.

In 2017, 655,000 Kentuckians used SNAP, formerly food stamps, to help bridge the meal gap in their homes. Our agricultural community does its part to help families in need, accepting SNAP at farmers markets, selling to local grocery stores, sharing the end of the harvest with organizations like GLEAN Kentucky and participating in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s hunger initiative.

Kentucky farmers also need support to help insure crops, provide access to capital for expansion, make it easier and more efficient to accept SNAP dollars, and build local markets for their goods.

The state’s vibrant and growing local food system is supported by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, operating in every county to link communities and farmers. The work the extension service does for farmers, for nutritional education and for the health of our seniors and our kids needs support.

Local governments in Fayette and Jefferson counties have programs to get more affordable local food into school cafeterias and onto the plates of families living in urban food deserts. They need a strong farm bill.

The Kentucky Proud marketing program is building a powerful brand for our farm-raised goods, and more farming families are selling directly to consumers, retailers, chefs and institutions every year. Successful marketing initiatives like Homegrown for Heroes help lead consumers to our farming veterans. Appalachian Proud helps young and struggling farmers brand their products so consumers know that what they buy helps an Eastern Kentucky food entrepreneur.

For Kentucky to build on this tremendous progress, Congress must pass a bipartisan, productive farm bill that supports our state and local programs.

Wendell Berry said it best: “Eating is an agricultural act.”

Every bite we take of a Kentucky farm-raised apple or tomato ties us to our land and to the labor of our Kentucky farmers. These are the ties that bring us together.

A vibrant local food system provides the structure we need to take care of every Kentuckian. We need a farm bill that helps us achieve that goal.