FRAC Chat

Add to the list of those expressing concerns about restrictive monetary policy: farmers. According to a Purdue University survey, agricultural “producers are concerned about the impact U.S. interest rate policy will have on their farms and the ag economy with over one-third of crop producers choosing it as the most important policy issue for their farming operation.” That finding predated the latest interest rate hike that the Federal Reserve announced on November 2, as part of its anti-inflation policy.

The Farm Bill, which comes up in Congress every five years, has numerous titles, including one for nutrition and others for crop insurance, conservation, energy, and many other agricultural program areas. Recent statements from key Farm Bill stakeholders and public polling show growing support for a “unified” 2023 Farm Bill that strengthens the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

October is Growing Healthy Schools Month in Washington, D.C.! During this month, we set aside time to celebrate all the ways in which the District of Columbia focuses on health and wellness in schools.
This year, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the administering agency for all D.C. schools, chose the theme “Recover, Reconnect, Refresh” as a way to revitalize student well-being, as well as their connection to fellow students, teachers, their community, and schools.

Two hurricanes — Fiona and Ian — inflicted massive damage on Puerto Rico and Florida in September 2022, but the federal nutrition program responses have differed significantly. As a federal entitlement program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond quickly and effectively to changes in need, whether due to economic downturns or natural disasters. It is available in all states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico’s counterpart program, the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP), however, is a block grant with fixed funding that hampers its ability to fully meet needs, including in disasters. It is long past the time for our nation to correct this inequity and provide Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands with pathways to the SNAP entitlement that serves other Americans.

October 10–14 is National School Lunch Week, an annual event celebrating the critical role that school lunch plays in providing children with the nutrition they need to learn and thrive both in and out of the classroom, as well as the tireless work of school nutrition departments across the country in connecting children to the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.
This year’s celebration comes on the heels of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and its landmark National Strategy, which sets an ambitious but achievable goal of ending hunger by 2030. A key part of this strategy is advancing a pathway to Healthy School Meals for All, which acknowledges that school meals are just as important to students’ academic success as textbooks or transportation.