SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas — While Senators were moving forward with the confirmation of the next Supreme Court justice, what wasn't moving on Capitol Hill was the Farm Bill that expired a week ago.

While the legislation largely stalled over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the people who grow the food and livestock that feed us all also were impacted. One of them is Texas Rancher Karl Ebel, owner of Ebel Grasslands Ranch. He has used conservation funds to improve irrigation efficiency on his land.

"If the Farm Bill conservation funds are pulled back, guys that are trying to embrace new conservation ideas and methods, they need a push or incentive to try those methods,” Ebel said.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, Texas farmers received $116 million in conservation funding in 2016 alone, and $3.5 billion over the last 10 years. Until Congress reaches an agreement on the Farm Bill, conservation programs will be in limbo, with many already having received the funding for projects, but not having the authority to move forward.

Conservationists are urging Congress to keep funding levels strong and maintain wildlife protections for endangered species. Aviva Glaser, director of agriculture policy with the National Wildlife Federation, said these types of conservation programs help keep farms and ranches in private hands, while protecting wildlife habitat and water quality for future generations.

"It could be a lot harder to get into conservation programs if there's less funding available,” Glaser said. “So you're not able to make as much progress, you're not able to recruit new farmers and ranchers to programs if you have less funding, so it would be very problematic."

Ebel said the momentum lost while a compromise is sought is hard at a time when the agricultural industry is close to embracing conservation and reaping the rewards.

"It's a long-term type view of your land. Conservation is something that producers, but also farmers, are just now trying to take a look at,” Ebel said. “They're starting to understand that that can make a positive impact on their bottom line."

There's no word on when Congress may take up the Farm Bill, but it's not expected to be taken up again until after the midterms in the lame-duck session of Congress. Negotiators have had trouble coming to agreement up to this point.


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Amid struggles with higher food and transportation costs, fewer donations and increased demand, food banks in Indiana will soon have additional funding to help ensure more Hoosiers have food on the table.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing nearly $1.5 billion for emergency food assistance nationally.

Carmen Cumberland, president and CEO of the Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, explained their food distributions are up nearly 65% since January, adding the federal investment will include both food and money.

"Fresh produce like apples and oranges that have a longer shelf life, also the canned proteins, such as tuna, but also money for storage," Cumberland outlined. "We have a fleet of 10 trucks running on diesel; that cost has seen a huge increase."

It is estimated One in nine people in Indiana face hunger, including one in seven kids, according to the nonprofit Feeding America.

The Agriculture Department works with farmers in Indiana and other states to purchase basic commodities, which are then distributed to food banks and schools. Cumberland pointed out it means the renewed investment will strengthen local food systems as well.

"It's generating income for our farmers," Cumberland noted. "But it's full circle, because the food we get comes from the fields, and it's being used to sustain the people that are in most need."

Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana is among the 11 Feeding America Food Banks serving the state. Cumberland emphasized it is through their advocacy the funding increase was made possible.

"So, we are very blessed to be part of the Feeding America network, but also to have the backing of the government to meet the needs," Cumberland asserted.

Indiana's hunger-fighting network recently submitted a report to help frame a national strategy to end hunger by 2030 for the Sept. 28 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

Save the Children's Rural Child Hunger Research and Innovation Lab aims to help communities design and test new, creative ways to reduce rural child hunger.

According to a report called Map the Meal Gap from the nonprofit Feeding America, nine out of 10 counties with the highest food-insecurity rates are rural.

Tamara Sandberg, senior adviser for food security at Save the Children, said lessons learned during the pandemic increased flexibility for federally funded food programs across the country. She hopes the lab will allow communities to continue problem-solving to ensure more Arkansas kids do not go hungry.

"The idea of the Rural Child hunger Research and Innovation Lab is to lift up ideas from within rural communities," Sandberg explained. "Provide them with the support to incubate their ideas, and then funding and technical assistance to try out their ideas."

Sandberg added they are trying to keep momentum going to reduce the barriers children in rural communities have when they are trying to access the food they need to succeed.

More than 444,000 Arkansans are not always sure where their next meal is coming from, according to Feeding America, and more than 138,000 of them are children.

Audrey Freshwater, Arkansas state director for Save the Children, said it is estimated 20% of rural children experience food insecurity.

"And this is a projected increase higher than pre-pandemic levels," Freshwater pointed out. "Here in Arkansas, one in six households with children reported not having enough food in their homes this past year. "

Freshwater noted although they have great support from local food banks, there are barriers such as geographic isolation, lack of transportation and food deserts making it difficult for families to access reliable, affordable and nutritious food options.

She added they are combating food insecurity in rural Arkansas by providing meals to families in need. She stressed hungry children are more likely to have lower math scores, repeat a grade, come to school late, or miss school entirely.

"Since the start of the COVID pandemic, we've helped provide nearly 45 million meals to children and families," Freshwater recounted. "Here in Arkansas, Save the Children has helped distribute nearly 1.4 million meals to families who have needed it the most since the start of the pandemic."

The group partnered with a school district in Mountain View, in northern Arkansas, via the school's food pantry to provide food boxes, critical meals and snacks as well as learning resources to families such as books, learning tools and toys.

A new initiative is providing funding to individuals and grassroots groups across the Commonwealth with creative solutions to reduce hunger among rural children.

The Rural Child Hunger Research and Innovation Lab launched today by Save the Children said it aims to help communities design and test out their ideas.

Alyssa Taylor, Kentucky state director for Save the Children, said recent natural disasters, including the floods in eastern Kentucky, have spurred crowdsourcing and voucher programs to keep families fed and supply businesses with customers amid recovery efforts.

"So we saw a local grocery store in Letcher County was completely destroyed," Taylor recounted. "The community rallied around them to help them get back on their feet."

Taylor hopes the resiliency of Kentuckians can be cultivated into scalable models to help ensure kids in the state always have their most basic needs met.

Tamara Sandberg, senior adviser for food security at Save the Children, said the lessons learned during the pandemic increased flexibility for federally funded food programs across the country. She hopes the lab will allow communities to continue problem-solving to ensure more Kentucky kids are fed.

"The idea of the Rural Child hunger Research and Innovation Lab is to lift up ideas from within rural communities, provide them with the support to incubate their ideas, and then funding and technical assistance to try out their ideas," Sandberg outlined.

Taylor added the geographic isolation of many Kentucky counties poses logistical challenges in accessing fruits and vegetables other states may not face.

"In areas where it's already difficult to afford the rising cost of groceries, adding on those transportation costs to get them to these rural areas is really difficult," Taylor explained.

Research shows persistent food insecurity leads to poorer health, less exercise, and lower grades among rural adolescents.