PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – The federal Farm Bill expired last month but lawmakers can’t come to a consensus on costs, especially when it comes to funding safety net programs like SNAP. The uncertainty is leaving farmers and food shelves in New York’s North Country concerned about the future.
At Hidden View Farms in Champlain, New York, dairy farmer Dale Tretreault anxiously awaits a new agreement on the Farm Bill.
“it’s crop insurance, environmental, it helps with environmental practice so we can help the environment, which is huge on everyone’s mind,” Tretreault said.
He says he’s already used some funding to help with runoff and fertilizer costs but worries if the farm bill isn’t re-authorized soon, more farmers would turn away from expensive projects. “Our bunker system that we feed the cows with, there is another phase three we would like to do that, and it has to do with part of the farm program. There are a couple of other things as far as putting seed on, stuff like that that we see the benefits but for the cost that it would cost us,” Tretreault said.
Food shelves in Plattsburgh and other areas are also feeling the impacts of a farm bill in limbo when it comes to food assistance programs. Dorothy Latta, coordinator at the Interfaith Food Shelf, says if benefits are on the line, people go to them in emergencies. “Once they’ve used that money, that is when they come to see us,” she said. “We have served, provided over 11,000 people and that is about an increase of about eight percent relative to the same time last year,” she said.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have been a key sticking point for lawmakers over the current iteration of the Farm Bill, with some requests outlining a nearly $30 billion cut over 10 years. Latta says that could mean more hungry people in their doors, which she says is already happening right now. “The funding may not increase, and with the rising cost of food, no increase for each individual household can be somewhat significant,” she said.
The Farm Bill expired in October. With GOP majorities poised to control Congress, SNAP and other benefit programs could face further challenges in the new year.