Editor,
The Ford County Democrats are well aware of the recent decision of the United States Department of Agriculture to terminate its Local Food Purchase Assistance Agreement Program (LFPA) within the next 60 days.
The intent of the LFPA has been to help Kansas schools provide meals to our children of nutritious fresh and local produce, meat and milk, products sourced from farmers throughout the state of Kansas. The loss of LPFA funds (Kansas has been awarded over five millon dollars) will harm Kansas farmers—who are unlikely to be compensated for ongoing food production while also facing a reduced market-- and our children—many of whom rely on programs for meals.
Additionally, school districts will have to face hard decisions, for example, to reduce or even cut food programs from their schools or to seek additional funding from the state or localmunicipalities, entities increasingly challenged to set viable budgets even with funds from the federal government.
With fewer than 60 days before the LFPA stops funding these non-partisan and cooperative programs—programs beneficial to our farming community, our public school systems, and our state economy, we have a limited amount of time to engage our legislators to act to preserve the USDA LFPA programs.
We encourage you, as concerned readers to please write, call or visit with Senators Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall, and Representative Tracy Mann to keep this program alive
Thank you,
Submitted by Jane Holwerda and Jan Scoggins on behalf of the Ford County Democrats, Glenna Walker, Chairman
Jan Scoggins
Dodge City, KS
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