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Black farmers face a slew of systemic challenges

Jan 12, 2021
Unfair pricing and land loss are just a few reasons the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund formed decades ago.
"We've had co-ops in Mississippi that knew they got less for their collard greens then their neighbor did," Cornelius Blanding says. "So they had to form a cooperative so that they can ship their products to Chicago to get a better price. That's been a reality for Black farmers for centuries."
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Schools find new ways to deliver free lunches during pandemic

Dec 1, 2020
Of the 30 million low-income students who are eligible for free lunches, only 15% are currently getting those meals.
A student chaperoned by an adult picks up a meal to go on November 19, 2020 at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 in New York City.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

For many in rural parts of the U.S., internet access is still elusive

Oct 6, 2020
Rural counties in Mississippi received a $4.6 million grant to connect schools, businesses and public services to the internet.
The FCC has estimated it will take about $80 billion to bring broadband access to the whole country.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Risk of deepening hunger crisis as SNAP exemption expires

Aug 11, 2020
When the pandemic began, the federal government made it easier for states to approve people for SNAP, but that flexibility is ending this month, raising concerns that more people will go hungry.
There is likely to be another big spike in SNAP enrollment now that Washington has let federal unemployment benefits expire.
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USDA pandemic food box program extended

Jul 28, 2020
The USDA program is designed to help people facing food insecurity.
Volunteers in Virginia organize food distribution to families in need.
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USDA announces food distribution program, but will it help farmers?

May 11, 2020
The Farmers to Families Food Box Program will begin distributing $1.2 billion in surplus food to communities across the country.
A food bank worker distributes goods. A Marketplace-Edison poll found that 44% of Americans over 18 fear being unable to afford food.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Anti-hunger advocates eye latest food insecurity data

Sep 4, 2019
The USDA's report on "Household Food Security in the U.S." uses a variety of measures to gauge whether households are food insecure, such as whether people have had to skip a meal or reduce the size of a meal for financial reasons.
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Who's planting? Who's not? Who wants to know?

Aug 12, 2019
Getting a grasp on acreage planted by farmers was harder this year because of bad weather.
A farmer walks through his soy fields in 2018, in Harvard, Illinois.
Nova Safo/AFP/Getty Images)
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USDA report to show the impact of wet weather and trade tensions on farmers

Jun 11, 2019
An Ag report to be released on Tuesday is expected to show the effects of weather and trade tensions on farm supply and demand.
Floodwater from the Mississippi River covers a farmer's field on May 30, 2019 in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
Scott Olson/Getty Images