DO SAFETY NET ASSET LIMITS BENEFIT STATES?

Low-income families receive federal financial support through more than a dozen programs, including SNAP. States administer the programs and can set eligibility requirements, which typically limit household income and the dollar value of liquid holdings such as cash, savings, and material property, like cars. Opponents of these limits argue that they discourage low-income households from saving for self-sufficiency; supporters say the strict guidelines efficiently allocate government resources. A recent issue brief examines the findings of three studies that looked at the effect of asset limits on family finances and state and program costs and obligations. Taken together, these analyses indicate that enforcing asset limits returns no clear benefits to states, as relaxing or eliminating them does not increase program enrollment or participation. However, while removing limits does not meaningfully affect households’ assets, doing so may reduce barriers to family financial well-being as measured by bank account and vehicle ownership.

Source: Pew Trusts, 9/28/17, Do Asset Limits Work?

U.S. LOSES TOP FOOD SECURITY RANKING

The U.S. no longer claims the top spot in a global ranking of how well countries can feed their own people, as concerns about agricultural research spending and government policy trends may make the world’s top food exporter a less-certain place to get a meal. Ireland is the world’s most “food-secure” nation, improving its food affordability, availability, quality, and safety while the U.S. stagnated, according to the sixth annual Global Food Security Index. Worldwide, food security fell for the first time in 5 years, largely because of increases in the number of refugees, weather disasters, and global political instability. This year the examination added metrics based on climate and natural-resource risks. Adjusting for those factors, the U.S. fell to fourth place, with Austria and France moving ahead.

Source: Bloomberg, 9/26/17, Global Food Security

Food Businesses: Demystifying Home Scale Versus Commercial Production

Cornell Cooperative Extension and the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring an event to assist new and existing food businesses with navigating the regulations around producing and distributing their products. This outreach presentation will be led by John Luker from New York State Agriculture and Markets. As the Assistant Director of Food Safety & Inspection, the target audience for Mr. Luker’s talk is individuals interested in producing items for sale including but not limited to canned items, baked goods or refrigerated and frozen products. The session will focus on information that allows participants to be successful and proactive in their interactions with NYS Ag & Markets. By the end of the session, attendees will have a clear understanding of the differences between 20C Food Processing Licensing and Home Processing Registration. Additional information includes explanation of which items can be produced under each of these licenses as well as the application, labeling requirements and inspection process of 20C and Home Processing. Attendees can bring their questions about Ag & Markets oversight of value-added production.

The event is October 10^th from 11am-1pm at the Extension Learning Farm 2043B State Highway 68 in Canton. This event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served. Space is limited, reserve your spot by contacting one of the organizers, Maria Flip Filippi at (315) 379-9192, ext. 229, mpf65@cornell.edu or Jo Ann Roberts at (315) 386-4000, jo@slcchamber.org.

This program is made possible with funding from the USDA for the Local Food Initiative. This grant allows Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County to offer technical assistance and workshops for specialty producers and food businesses in value-added production, market strategies, food safety plans and business development. A diverse range of presentations and workshops will be offered through 2018. Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

SNAP BENEFIT MAY LOWER HEALTH CARE SPENDING

Enrollment in SNAP may be associated with lower health spending, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on health spending for U.S. adults who were eligible for SNAP, including 1,889 people who were SNAP participants and 2,558 who were not. Overall, the study found,SNAP participation was associated with about $1,400 less in average annual health care costs for each low-income adult. There wasn’t much difference in annual health spending based on SNAP participation when researchers only accounted for two factors that can influence medical costs – age and gender. The difference was much more pronounced, however, when researchers also considered race, region, insurance, education, income, disability and other medical problems. When all of those factors were taken into account, SNAP enrollees had average annual health spending that was $1,409 less than people who didn’t participate in the program.

Source: Huffington Post, 9/26/17, Health Care Spending

Another view of the SNAP Challenge

As you may remember, GardenShare was encouraging people to try the SNAP Challenge during September - living on a SNAP budget for a few days, a week or longer.

Here is one response we received to this idea:

"Although I believe it would be a valuable experience personally and to share with the wider community, I decided not to participate in the SNAP Challenge this year.  As the person generally responsible for planning, shopping for and preparing meals for my family – myself, my partner, and two busy teenagers (one currently away at college, and the other a growing-like-a-weed and active high school student) I was concerned about the time and energy it would take to do so within the confines of the Challenge and considering my full-time paid work, volunteer and family responsibilities.  But that’s the point, isn’t it – to, at least a little bit, better understand the often overwhelming situation of trying to feed a family well on a very limited budget?

"However, I can’t stress enough the importance of the opportunity GardenShare provides to take part in this Challenge and share the experience.   At times, my family and I have received benefits such as WIC, HEAP, Medicaid, reduced-price school meals and various other forms of need-based financial aid and support.  With an income level that sometimes fell below or hovered around the poverty line - always with one or both adults in the household engaging in paid work – and at times negotiating the use of only one vehicle, the myriad of paperwork and appointments to obtain and maintain these critical benefits was often daunting and stressful.  It is so important that we offer opportunities to better understand the experiences of our neighbors so that we can work together more effectively and compassionately to combat hunger."

Did you try the SNAP Challenge?  Share your feedback here or by e-mail.

TEST SCORES DROP WHEN SNAP RUN OUT

A new study that confirms that it’s harder to think when you’re hungry. The study’s authors matched up the timing of math tests in South Carolina to the dates when low-income students’ families received monthly SNAP benefits. They found that kids’ test scores dropped at times of the month when nutrition benefits had run out. Put another way, access to SNAP substantially improves students’ academic performance—but only when there are actually enough benefits for families to be able to eat. Running out of SNAP benefits isn’t an anomaly—nearly half of participating families run out before the end of the month. Many previous studies have demonstrated the long-term effects of food insecurity on children; this study shows that the effect of losing SNAP benefits is immediate.

Source: Talk Poverty, 9/25/17, Test Scores

Another SLU student joins the GardenShare team for the semester

My name is Maya Williams and I am a senior at St. Lawrence University. As part of a “community based learning” component for a course I am taking on local food and farming, I am volunteering with GardenShare. 

For the next three months, I will explore how a local nonprofit is managing issues of hunger and access to healthy food in the North Country. I am particularly interested in community outreach and involvement in the organization, as I believe it is vital to the success of the project. 

As an Environmental Studies and Geology major, I hope to someday pursue environmental education, fostering appreciation and stewardship of the natural world. Outside of GardenShare and school, I am on the rowing team, where incredible morning sunrises on the St. Lawrence River make up for 5 am wakeups. I also love to hike, climb trees, and collect rocks (hence the geology major). 

Currently, my favorite book is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. If you haven’t read it, you should. It will change the way you think about the role humans have on this planet in new ways. Fresh beets are my favorite vegetable, even though I refused to eat them until I was about 15.